


Long Time No See

by SilentScreamXIII



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: 42!Ignis, 43!Gladio, Alternate Universe - Punk, Anal Sex, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Tragedy, Antiheroes, Bathtub Sex, Blind Ignis Scientia, Character Death, Divorced!Gladio, EOS AU, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Flufffuck, Forbidden Love, Ghosts, Hair-pulling, Idiots in Love, Lingerie, M/M, Masturbation, Mature!Gladio, Mature!Ignis, Nightmares, Nina Forever refereces, Noctis Lucis Caelum is a cat, Oral Sex, Porn with Feelings, Recovered Memories, References to Depression, Rimming, Rough Sex, Science Fiction, Second Chances, Secret Relationship, Shameless Smut, Suicide, Undead, Wet Dream, White hair Gladio, blowjob, exboyfriend, loads of fluff, men with garters, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2020-06-03 22:34:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 42,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19473589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentScreamXIII/pseuds/SilentScreamXIII
Summary: “Not even a boiling hot shower will take all the shit of this crappy day. Beer will cheer me up better”So it did, but he wasn’t expecting how much it did…He felt like a stranger back in Lestallum. The city changed so much after 20 years that just seemed familiar in just a few spots. There was no longer Exineris Industries, but the power plant was still up and running at an easier pace by the Meldacio volunteers and the iconic Lestallum hard-working women. The same fate suffered Neville Hotel group; the building was still up, reformed but not improved, now taking a hostel category instead, it maintained the same aesthetics and layout as before the Darkest Years.Here's an after game story where Gladio is a 43 y/o hunter/handyman and Ignis is 42 y/o biography writer.





	1. Flash

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!
> 
> So, here's my very first Fanfic written in English, so please, don't be too tough with me. If you see anything too weird, please, let me know in the comments below. 
> 
> The story might not be 100% accurate if you completed the whole game. I just took it as an base for this story. 
> 
> I hope you like it!

_“Not even a boiling hot shower will take all the shit of this crappy day. Beer will cheer me up better...”_

  


_So it did, but he wasn’t expecting how much it did…_

  


He felt like a stranger back in Lestallum. The city changed so much after 20 years that just seemed familiar in just a few spots. There was no longer Exineris Industries, but the power plant was still up and running at an easier pace by the Meldacio volunteers and the iconic Lestallum hard-working women. The same fate suffered Neville Hotel group; the building was still up, reformed but not improved, now taking a hostel category instead, it maintained the same aesthetics and layout as before the Darkest Years.

The shower didn’t refresh him enough. He still felt burned out of all the work he did to repair a condenser with electrical issues. All in vain, as the panels they used, were not compatible with the wiring they ordered from him weeks ago. Part of him knew it, as it wasn’t the first time that something similar happened. Also, the guy on the phone sounded confused and unsure when was placing the order to Gladio, who took notes filled with question marks wondering if he’ll be another of those incompetent newbies. So now, he had to wait a few days for the new ones to arrive, leaving him hanging around Lestallum.

  


_“I’ll take it as a chance to rest for a few days”._ Succumbed, trying to flow with the situation, looking at his reflex in the mirror.

  


He combed his still wet white hair backwards, brushing it with his rough fingers and style it into a messy braid down to his shoulder blades. Couldn’t care to trim his beard, as always, so he tied his towel around his hips and went back to the room. The walls kept the same blue shade, as far as he could remember. Double bed crowning the room, matching night tables with decadent style lamps. Several fans turned in the feature wall, making the hot air that entered through the open balcony door swirl, but not cooling it down at all.

He sighed when he remembered he had to wear still long sleeve despite the sultry weather. His inked sun-kissed skin still was too easy to recognise. After a lot of thinking, he dared to wear that shirt, finished dressing up and went down to the street in search of that bar he had seen before, that one in which they were broadcasting the match of Guado Glories versus Besaid Aurochs.

Despite the unbearable heat, he managed to have a brief walk around the alleys and streets recalling the old days when they didn’t know they were happy. A crowd of people makes him knew that, wandering aimlessly and with his mind empty, he reached the bar he was looking for, filled with Blitzball signs, lights and murmur of people talking. He made his way between two men who were smoking outside, just next to the main door. They were not as portly as him, but they did not take their eyes off him, analyzing him. Ignoring everyone, Gladio sat on a wooden bar stool in the gloom of the place and did a gesture with his hand, calling the barman.

  


_“Good evening, sir”_

_“Good evening, a Lestallum Finest, please”_

_“Sure. Would you need a glass?”_

_“No, thanks” -_ he said while turning his head face to the telly. The match was about to start.

  


The crowd began to silence when the players were entering the stadium after a brief greeting ceremony. People sat in their tables, hushing to each other.

The first part of the game was monotonous and boring. The Guado Glories seemed to have woken up from a horrible nap and the Aurochs had so many inexperienced players, that gave the sensation that were a new team in the league. When just started the second part, people took advantage of that wearisome game to go to the toilet, order food and pop out for a cigarette because of the low expectations. Gladio recognised a familiar silhouette staning up from his chair with difficulty, leaning on a cane. He was thin-bodied, not particularly tall with spiky fair hair. Unsure, but as being the only familiar thing there, was more than enough reason to get him up from the stool and go to meet him while he was on his way to the bathroom.

_“It was so difficult to say hello again to somebody you haven’t seen in more than ten years”,_ though for himself. 

_“I never thought you were interested in Blitzball” -_ said Gladio, behind the smaller man

The blond turned around slowly, relying on that cane with a gesture of defiance on his thin face, that faded when he met those amber eyes _\- “Gladio?”_

_“Heh, I was wondering if you would recognise me” -_ said Gladio with a friendly smirk on his face.

_“Astrals!, what are you doing here?” -_ exclaimed the thin man, while trying to give a hug to the big one, tremblingly.

Gladiolus squeezed Prompto between his arms and patted his bony shoulder, releasing a slight sigh when he felt all the corners of his joints. He had not aged much, but he looked pretty worn. _\- “I came here to do some work at the old power plant”,_ said while he released the blond one.

_“Wow, I mean, I wasn’t expecting… This is crazy!” -_ Prompto was smiling, making coming out the wrinkles of his sunken cheeks _. - “I’m in that table with Talcott, please, have a seat. Sure he’ll be happy to see you”._

_“Alright”._

Talcott stood up with a surprised face as he recognized Gladio coming to greet him with another hug. When Prompto returned from the bathroom, both updated Gladio about Cindy's new workshop, which seemed to go from strength to strength. They knew little about Aranea, but the last thing they knew about her was that she went back to Niflheim to start a new life, and, of course, they talked about the sad news about Cid. They also talked about their new humble courier business. Talcott was in charge of the heavy-duty while Prompto, diminished by his poor health, worked more towards the logistics.

_“So, how’s Dhalia?” -_ asked Prompto, after sipping slowly onto his beer.

_“Seems that she’s doing fine” -_ said Gladio, lowering his eyes while scratching the label of the glass bottle with his thumbnail.

_“Oh, so you’re done then?” -_ asked Talcott. _“Iris told us that you two were having issues”._

_“Yeah. We divorced four years ago. Dryas and Linaria are with her back in Galahd. Funny enough now it’s considered a safe place”._

Talcott and Prompto nodded uncomfortably and remained silent for a few seconds, drinking and checking the score on the TV screen.

_“So… What about that?” - Gladio asked looking at Promoto’s cane._

_“This? Hah, well. My left leg doesn't exist anymore” -_ said the blond one, lifting his skinny trouser a bit, showing part of his metal prosthesis. _“But I’m ok now. At least I haven’t gone white”._

Gladio was accustomed to hear jokes about his white hair. Had a hard divorce and her, being in charge of the custody of their children, didn’t help either. Dhalia took them to Galahd a couple of years ago, as it was considered one of the safest places in Eos at the moment. Also where the best universities moved. At least, those that remained partially after the Darkest Years.

_“Don’t you recognise it?”_ asked Talcott, pointing to Prompto’s cane, that rested between the hands of the freckled man.

_“Many years have passed, Talcott, don’t be silly!” -_ laugh Prompto.

The darkness of the place erased the scars and details of the cane that the blond held in his hands. He looked directly into Gladio's eyes, bringing the came closer to him.

_“It’s Iggy’s old cane” -_ said the freckled one, in a soft voice while Gladio held the carved wood.

A strong sensation, as a quick bolt of lightning, pierced Gladio's chest, stopping his breathing as he felt the wood in his hands again.

_“I see it's still alive. Seems that I did a great job!” -_ Swanked with a half-smile, playing softly with the cane, disguising his hands shaking.

_“If you’re gonna be around for a few days, you should pop to visit him. He lives around here” -_ said Talcott finishing his drink _\- “Are you up for another round?” -_ Asked while standing up, slapping his thighs.

_“Sure” -_ smiled Gladio, returning the cane to Prompto.

He felt his violaceous eyes pinned of him while Talcott left the table.

_“So what” -_ asked Gladio, looking back at Prompto.

_“He’ll be very pleased to know you’re alright” -_ The blond softened his voice.

_“You can tell him we met” -_ answered Gladio, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his arm.

The thinner man sigh _\- “We need to deliver him something in a couple of days. Have a think and let me know. We can drive you there”._

_“I got my own car” -_ Gladio answered defensively, avoiding eye contact looking at the screen, after giving a big to to his drink. _  
_

_“Have a think, and let me know” -_ said Prompto, closing the conversation as Talcott was coming back with three more beers.

_“I’ve ordered some Ifrit’s shots too. We need to celebrate this! Back in a sec” -_ said the youngest, on his way to the bar.

  
  


_Are they trying to convince me?_

_\------------_

  


The way back to the hostel known before as the Neville, seemed longer than the way to the bar. It had been a while since Gladio drank a reasonable amount of alcohol and he clearly struggled with it.

After closing the door of his room, he though in Prompto’s lasts words before saying goodbye to him and Talcott at the bar door _“Don’t regret something you've never done. As I did 20 years ago. It's a very heavy burden to live with”._

He sat down in the corner of the bed. The balcony was open, refreshing the room with a subtle breeze, making the curtains and the linen dance softly. He pressed his eyes with the heel of his hand, trying to rub away the heaviness inside his head due to tiredness and the very likely next day hungover.

  


He opened his eyes to find a freckled face looking at him. _“He could have popped you an eye”_

_“Shut up”_ said Gladio, covering his new facial scar

_“Hey” Don’t be rude, brother!”_ said Iris, grabbing Prompto’s shoulder. _“Are you coming with us or not?”_

_“Yup! What about you, big guy?”_ Asked Prompto on his way to the room door with Iris and Noctis.

_“Nah. Not for me tonight. It’s been a pretty tough journey, I need to rest”_

Noctis shrugged his shoulders _“Boring...”_

_“Just make sure Iris comes back in one piece,”_ said Gladio, fed up of too many questions about his wound, pointing at the prince's face.

_“...Yeah. Whatever” snorted_ Noctis second before slamming the door.

  


He rubbed his face and threw his head back, spotting a figure from the corner of his eye. He was sitting in silence in the armchair next to the bed, flicking the pages of a magazine.

_“I thought you'd go with them”_ said Gladio, looking at him.

_“And I thought you would need a little company” -_ answered back Ignis with his eyes fixed in the gastronomy magazine _._

_“It isn’t fancy to try the local food?”_ asked Gladio, taking a look to the picture of the cover. _  
_

_“Of course it is.”-_ He said closing the magazine, placing it in his lap, looking at him with a green flash. _“Do you prefer that I go with them? Do you want me to watch Iris for you?”_

_“No, well, do what you want. Iris doesn’t worry me. She’s old enough to know what she’s doing"._

_“What is concerning me is the look of that wound"._ Ignis said, getting up from the armchair. _"Do you mind if I take a look?”_

Gladio closed his eyes and sighed, tired and reluctant to the proposal of his companion. Looked at him with a negative response in his eyes.

Ignis glanced at the new sword that Gladio had brought with him from his mysterious journey. The large blade that rested in the corner of the room, was exhaustively and quickly examined by the man of the glasses _“I promise not to ask you too committed questions”._

He knew it was Ignis' way of insisting. _“Alright then…”_ mumbled, not very content. He brushed with fingers through his own hair clearing up his forehead while the other man approached with a little first aid kit on his hand. Gladio tilted his head back with his eyes closed, waiting for a sharp and burning sensation on his wound that arrived shortly.

Ignis fingers brushed softly Gladio’s cheekbones while patted a cotton ball impregnated in wound disinfectant.

_“Does it sting?”_ Ignis asked, lowering his voice.

_“Not really”_ Lied. It did.

_“You might need some stitches”._

_“I’ll be fine”_

_“If you keep going like this, your face will look like a pirate map”_

Gladio snorted with a smirk, opening his eyes slowly when he felt Ignis’ breath close enough to feel it's warmth over his lips. _“And who will care about it?”_

_“Definitely, not me”_ whispered Ignis over Gladio's filled lips before sealing them with a kiss.

A traitorous ray of sunshine woke Gladio up, hitting him directly in his eyes.

  


_“It was that just a memory, or a dream?”_ asked for himself, confused, while rubbing his eyes.

He stretched slowly and checked his phone. There was still no news of the shipment for the material to continue with his work at the power plant.

Few minutes after, his phone beeped.

_“Hey was great to see you last night! Hope you don’t mind if I ask you for a favour if you’re free?”_

Gladio wasn’t a big fan of texting, so he preferred to give a quick call to Prompto.

_“Hey! I wasn’t expecting you were awake”_

_“Neither I”_ replied Gladio with a rough voice _.“So, what do you need?”_

_“Well, Talcott needs to go back to Caem soon but I need to do a delivery tomorrow morning”_

_“Aha...”_

Prompto kept explaining the situation to Gladio _“It’s a local delivery, not far away. It’s just a box of books”._

_“Right”_

_“If it’s not too much asking.. could you please give me a ride tomorrow?”_ said Prompto with a funny voice.

After many years, still was difficult to say no to Prompto when he used that voice. _“Where do you need me to take you?”_

_“There is a small hidden urbanization close to Kelbass Grasslands. My client lives in there”_ Prompto did a pause, muttering something _“I think the box might be about 30 pounds. Is not very heavy but obviouysly, I can't carry it by myself”._

Considering that it wasn’t a large delivery and the place was relatively close, Gladio accept it taking it as something useful to do in this unexpected free time.

_“Great! I’ll see you tomorrow! Thanks, dude!”_

_“...See ya”_ said Gladio before cutting the call, knowing was something hidden in Prompto’s mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter revisited on the 17/07/2019!


	2. Back in my mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio helps Prompto with his delivery before going back to finish his work in the old power plant but he has a big surprise when he discovers Prompto's customer name.

_“Seems that I have a long day by myself… again”_

  
  
  
It wasn’t an unpleasant thought for Gladio. In fact, he was accustomed to doing his very own way, he just hated that weird feeling of having a day to spare doing nothing, somewhere far from home, under too hot to do anything enjoyable climate. But he bit the bullet and decided, covering his arms and shoulders again with long sleeves, to entertain himself in town trying to spend the day faster.  
  
Despite he took the morning easily, he went down to the street relatively early. People were still sleeping, probably because they stayed up last night watching the Blitzball game, but luckily for him, he found a small cafeteria that was open. Unfortunately, after the Darkest Years, the taste of coffee wasn’t the same anymore. A shy smirk surprised him, crossing his face, after thinking for a few seconds in how this might upset Ignis.  


_“Why...him. Now?”_  


He blamed Prompto for making his ears listen to his name last night for the first time after so many years… And it remained in Gladio’s head for the whole day.  
  
Lestallum was full of memories of those years where all the gang were happy and they weren’t aware of it. Gladio, wandering aimlessly, collected them all without wanting, going through his brain as if they were bullets.  
  
That alley, where they hide for a few minutes, holding hands, after Gladio returned with a new cut on his face and those emerald eyes overflowing with concern, now it was just some storage space for renting.  
  
The balcony of the Neville, witness of the first time they spent a night alone since the trip began, it was walled up. It did not exist anymore making Gladio wonder if that memory would also be boarded up inside Ignis’ heart, like that wall.  
  
The square where street musicians used to gather around did not exist either, but the memory of the background notes when Ignis’ trapped him against his chest and a wall and kissed him voraciously him secretly, never left Gladio’s soul even though he tried to erase it for a long time.  
  
  
  
  
  
The night passed quickly despite the sticky and thick atmosphere of the room of the hotel. Once again, old memories were mixed up while he dreams one more time with those emerald eyes causing a bulge between his legs and covering his skin with a morning dew of sweat at the moment that he woke up suddenly, feeling those long fingers running through his body in a too real sleeper delusion.  
  
He needed to clear up himself and decided to shower with cold water. The icy sensation That helped him settling down for the day. After that, he got himself ready to meet Prompto next to the old petrol station in Lestallum as agreed the previous night by message.  
  
Going down the stairs of the building knew as the Neville, his phone rang in his pocket. Assuming that was Prompto, he answered without looking at the screen.  
  
_“Hey, I’m on my way”_  
  
_“Oh...Oh! Right! Well, that’s perfect”_ answered a mysterious voice. _“How you reckon you’re gonna take?”_  
  
_“Excuse me?”_ asked Gladio, separating the device from his ear. The prefix of the call was from Lestallum. _“Who’s calling?”_  
  
_“It’s Rob, from the power plant. The new wiring arrived last night!”_  
  
_Oh shit. I can’t dump Prompto, but I can’t lose this job either… He was a man of his word and leaving an old friend in the lurch had no room in his plans._  
  
_“Hey, Rob. I haven’t heard about the wiring yesterday_ on _the whole day and I’m booked for something important today. It’s an emergency around here, sure it won’t take me long”_  
  
_“I see… Do you think you can come over later on the day?”_  
  
_“I don’t mind to pop tonight if that works”_  
  
Rob remained silent for a few seconds, Gladio could hear pages flicking between metallic noises and the roaring of the machinery.  
  
_“Yup, that’s fine. We just need to make sure we cleared sector 8 before you arrive”_  
  
Gladio sighed in relief. _“Great. I’ll call you later”_  
  
_“Please do. Thank you!”_  
  
_“See ya”._  
  
  
  
The blond man was waiting next to the shop in the petrol station, under the shade holding a big brown paper bag and a medium size box in the floor next to him when a yellow pickup stopped in front of him.

 _“Good morning! Coffee?”_ Asked Prompto with a wide smile on his face.  
  
_“Sure!”_ Gladio smiled back at him while he was getting down of the van. _“Did you carried this box all by yourself?”_  
  
_“No. Talcott dropped me here like 20 mins ago. He had to go back to_ Caem _this morning for a delivery”_  
  
_“You should have called me earlier. I was just hanging around in the hostel”_ said Gladio picking up the box from the floor.  
  
_“I like a bit of peace and quiet. Now the weather isn’t too bad in the shade. And a had a few donuts too._ Donut _worry, I have a few for us for the journey”._  
  
Gladio laughed _“I see… So, where are we going?”_ Asked curiously, while he secured the box in the back part of the pickup.  
  
_“We are going to_ Cautionum _”_ answered Prompto next to the copilot door, waiting for some help to get in as it was too high to do it by himself. _“Pretty close to_ Kelbass _Greenlands”._  
  
_“I’ve never heard of that place_ before _”_ said Gladio while took Prompto’s cane and helped to get in the van.  
  
_“That’s because it’s secret”_ answered Prompto sinking his teeth in the white icing of another donut.  
  
Gladio remained silent, staring at him, incredulous, sitting next to him in the van, turning the engine on.  
  
_“It’s true! There’s a little hidden village around the Greenlands”_  
  
_“Why is it hidden?_ ”  
  
_“Because there live people who prefer a quiet life after the Darkest Years, or they like it… or doesn’t want to be recognized”_ said Prompto noticing Gladio’s long sleeve shirt.  
  
Gladio looked at Prompto for a second. Thinking about what he just had said, feeling it hard to believe.  
  
_“They might accept you there if you’d like to live there. Is pretty nice!”_ Prompto kept talking with his mouth full.  
  
_“Accept me? What do you mean?”_ Prompto's words were increasingly confusing.  
  
_“They don’t want any ‘outsider’ living there. They don’t trust them”._

  
  
_Fuck Prompto. You didn’t get any clearer with the time._ Though Gladio.  


_“Why then ‘they’ might ‘accept me’?”_ Asked Gladio, extremely confused.

 _“Because you know someone that lives in_ there _”_ said Prompto in an unintelligible way, still with his mouth full.  
  
Gladio gave a brief confused look to the blond man, wondering if he should ask any further. Prompto replied back with a cheeky smirk and shrugging his shoulders.  
  
_“... I didn’t know you lived there”_ Gladio dared to say after a few minutes of silence.  
  
_“I lived there for a few years. Not anymore. I moved out of the weather here wasn’t helping with my asthma. Now I live in Cape_ Caem _. The sea breeze is much better than the environment here…”_ Prompto pointed to a dirt road that deviated from the main road _“Take that turn and make sure slow down a bit. There are a couple of very tight bends forward._  
  
Gladio listened to the blonde man and took the detour to the right side of the road slowly. It was an extremely rough terrain, but he took it calmly while Prompto was telling him how to get to that secret place. There was no road or path to follow, everything was covered by sand, which was forming clouds under the tires of the van, and dry vegetation. Huge lumps of sand and rocks helped Prompto get his bearings to find the entrance to the village.  
  
_“You see a big black rock on the left? Park next to it.”_  
  
_“ Really?”_ said Gladio squinting to see further the rock. _“I can’t see anything around that boulder”_  
  
_“We have to cross a small quarry on foot. You'll see. You’ll like it”_ said Prompto with uncommon confidence when he opened the door of the pickup.  
  
Gladio snorted and went out of the van after turning off the engine. He helped Prompto to get out and jumped to the back to grab the box. He wasn’t very happy about carrying the box walking in a quarry under a raging full sun, but neither could let Prompto do it all alone. He turned the box to take a better angle to lift it and noticed the recipient's name:  


“I.S.SCIENTA”

  
  
A sharp pricking feeling stabbed him in the middle of his chest, taking away his breath for a few seconds.  
  
_“Are you fucking kidding me, Prompto?”_ mumbled, with anger.  
  
_“What?”_ Asked Prompto, completely unaware of Gladio´s annoyance, with a smile.  
  
Gladio ran his hand over his face, clearing his forehead from the strands that fell on it. _"Who’ s this box for?"_ asked pointing to the box, still onn the floor of the back part of the van.  
  
_“A customer!_ ” answered the purple-eyed man with a big smile.  
  
_“And his name’s Scientia?”_ asked Gladio in a threatening voice.  
  
Prompto nodded, still with his big smile.  
  
_“Do you think I'm stupid? I’m not going anywhere”_ said Gladio jumping from the van, next to Prompto.  
  
_“Oh, c_ ’mon _dude! It’ll be great! He’ll love to see you! Well.. hear you…”_  
  
Gladio pressed his temples with the middle finger and the thumb of his right hand _“Is this a prank or what?”_  
  
_“Are you angry?”_ asked Prompto with a soft voice.  
  
_“Shit Prompto, I’m fucking fuming and holding back myself”_  
  
Prompto got closer to Gladio _“... Hey. This is no prank… Not at all”_ he took his hand between his bony and weak ones holding his cane between his arm and his ribs _“This is just a sweet coincidence, Gladio. Trust me, he’ll be thrilled to know you’re doing well. I know what I’m talking about”_  
  
Somehow, Prompto’s words calmed him down a bit. His voice and his eyes were drilling deep into his soul and couldn’t help letting his anger go and fade away while his freckled and nearly translucent hands, were clasping his with a shaky and unstable feeling.  
  
_“Please, give it a go. Do it for me… You may regret it in the future. As it happened to me, Gladio”._  
  
He swallowed and sighed before nodding his head. His amber eyes couldn’t bear the intensity that radiated from the violet eyes and went back to pick up the box from the back of the van.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Gladio had the sensation of approaching civilization when they passed by several abandoned booths. Large metal pipes guided the way of the two men who were walking at a slow pace because Prompto was unable to keep up as the loose sand was an impediment.  
  
Drops of sweat ran down the white-haired man's face when he recognized an old small hydraulic power station that was spoiled by several years of drought. The structure of the plant and the different buildings, formerly warehouses and houses for workers, were still standing. The people moved there slowly and reformed the whole place forming little by little that small colony where old Kingsglaives, hunters and retired bounty hunters lived in a quiet community. Were no more than 400.  
  
_“Welcome to_ Cautionum _!”_ said Prompto, notoriously relieved as Gladio didn’t turn halfway back to the van.  
  
The bigger man kept silent, having a look around to that decadent place, reminding him to the old Meldacio Hunters Headquarters, despite this was far was more desertic and rusty. They kept walking until they reached a tall, cracked building with no entry. There was only one forklift that did not seem very safe. The security stairs were up and there was no way to reach them from the ground. Prompto made a circle with his middle finger and his thumb and reaching this circle it to his mouth, created a particular whistle.  
  
_“You can drop that box in the lift_ truck _”_ said Prompto, opening the gate of that brassy lift and getting in. Gladio did what he was told to, still in the ground.  
  
_“You’re not coming?”_ Prompto asked defiant piercing Gladio with his eyes.

  
  
A big sigh came from Gladio's chest _"I do not lose anything, anyway, I'm here"_ he thought to himself.

  
  
_“...Yeah, sure”_ answered not being very convinced with himself after getting that metal cage.  
  
Prompto smiled sideways while pressing the big red button, which activated the forklift and a security alarm _“Don’t worry, it’ll beep three times and stop. It doesn’t work well this shit.”_  
  
The lift went up five levels and stopped suddenly with a hard shake. _“We are_ here _”_ said Prompto with a smile, looking back at Gladio while he opened the rusty door.  
  
They entered the building. Due to the orientation of the windows and the long, gray and dark corridors it looked like it was an old office many years ago. A metal door was sitting alone at the end of one of the corridors. Prompto stopped in front of it and knocked on the door with his prominent knuckles. The door opened slowly revealing a slender figure in the gloom.  
  
_“Hey, Igs! Nice to see you!”_ Prompto greeted with a high pitch voice.  
  
_“Hello, Prompto. How are you? Should I help you with the box?”_ answered Ignis.  
  
_“No, today I got a helper”_  
  
_“Talcott has decided to come up for a visit?”_ Ignis said with joy in his voice inviting the two men to enter his house.  
  
_“Is not Talcott”_ answered Prompto, getting it.  
  
_“Then who I have the pleasure?”_ asked the blind man, curious.  
  
_“Hi, Ignis… it’s been a while”_ answered Gladio, lowering his tone of voice.  
  
Ignis took a few moments to recognize Gladio’s voice. Or maybe was he trying to believe it really was him?  
  
_“Long time no see, Gladio… Please come in”_ Ignis voice seemed distant without being defensive.  
  
The door closed behind Gladio. _“Please, follow_ me _”_ said Ignis, walking slowly in the dark hallway leading Gladio to his lounge where Prompto was already sitting down in an armchair, smiling, looking at the two men entering the lounge.  
  
_“Where I can drop this?”_ asked Gladio, ignoring the way Prompto was looking at them.  
  
_“If you could please, leave it on the table. I’ll sort it out later”_ said Ignis, turning around, facing Gladio.  
  
He hasn’t changed much in the last ten years. His face had sharper and thinner features. The scars continued with silvery tones and thin gestural wrinkles were perceived in his forehead and eyes. His hair maintained the same style as ten years ago, except that it was now slightly longer on the sides and back and with silver tones taking advantage over his ashy blond.  
  
_“Please take a seat. I'm going to make coffee so you can explain me to me how you have run into each other "_ said Ignis as he headed to the kitchen.  
  
As soon as Ignis disappeared, Prompto glanced at Gladio, who looked uncomfortable and out of his comfort zone, feeling under the spotlight under the blond’s pressure, until he decided to break the silence _“He has not aged at all, huh? He looks great. not like me, or you…”_  
  
_“What the fuck do you mean by that?”_  
  
_“Well, obviously, I’m much more fucked than you, at least, you still keep your limbs and you don’t have to sleep with an oxygen mask… But your hair…”_  
  
Ignis interrupted the conversation entering the room with two mugs. Gladio got up to lend him a hand and gave one mug to Prompto, keeping himself one. _“Are you talking about hair?”_ asked Ignis, with a shy smirk.  
  
_“It’s funny enough to see Gladio’s white_ hair _”_ said naughtily Prompto, trying to give as much visual information to the blind man.  
  
Ignis grimaced, clearly trying to imagine Gladio with his hair completely white. _“So you went full Clarus style, then?”_  
  
_“Something like that. It’s been pretty rough in the recent years…”_ Gladio didn’t want to give him too much information.  
  
_“Yeah… sure the divorce was hard…”_ said Prompto while sipping his hot coffee.  
  
_“Oh… right… I’m sorry to hear that… Hope Dhalia and the kids are fine”_ answered Ignis, on his way to the kitchen for his mug.  
  
Gladio looked at the blond man, with as much fixation as a tiger looks at his next prey. _“Shut the fuck up!”_ said in a menacing, low voice before Ignis came back to the lounge.  
  
As soon as Ignis took a sit, Prompto began explaining to Ignis how he found Gladio in a bar in Lestallum while he was finishing a delivery with Talcott. The blind man listened carefully to all the purple-eyed man said with a tender smile. Ignis asked in a polite and concise way to Gladio how he’s been in the last ten years, who did not give much more details to what the blond man had already uncovered about his life and his failed marriage with Dhalia.  


  
  
_“...Just seeing him doing fine, it’s enough for me...”_

  
  
  
_“After Cid’s death, I decided to move here with Prompto… Actually, he was living here before me and I moved with him. We spent three years living together until…”_  
  
Prompto interrupted Ignis’ talk _“...Until I decided to work with Talcott”_  
  
Ignis nodded and silent reigned during a few minutes.

  
  
_“Why I feel like I need to hold his hand? He looks so cold...”_

 _  
_  
  
_“So, Igster, are you gonna show us what’s in the box?”_ Prompto asked still on his sassy attitude.

 _“If you want to do the_ honours _....”_  
  
  
With difficulty, Prompto got up from the chair and went to the table where the box rested under Gladio’s glare. He pulled out a small pocket knife from his trousers and gently cut the plastic seal, pulling it open and opening the cardboard flaps.  
  
_“Here it is, have a_ feel _”_ said Prompto taking a book out of the box and putting it in Ignis’ hands. _“Fresh first edition print! This one in Braille, just for you.”_  
  
Ignis smiling felt the book slowly, feeling the linen on the cover and running his fingers reading the title.  
  
_“It’s gorgeous! Has a beautiful bottle green cover, simple but nice. The letters are golden and stylish. Great choice!”_ explained Prompto while taking another book from the box, reaching Gladio’s arms.

  
  
“The Legacy of Light. Author: L.S. Reditus”

  
  
Gladio flicked through the pages. Seemed like one of those books that had been written after Noctis’ death, explaining all about the 113 Kings of Lucis. He was surprised that still was some people interested in that.

  
  
_“Second edition already printing… Congratulations!”_ exclaimed Prompto, giving a short hug to Ignis, while he smiled slightly embarrassed.  
_“Sorry… But I’m missing something here…”_ said Gladio, still with the book in his hands.  
  
_“Oh, well... L.S. Reditus is my Nom de Plume. I thought you might know it”_ explained Ignis, facing at Gladio’s direction.  
  
_“...I had no idea…”_  
  
_“Sure you saw some books about Lucis, Tenebrae and the royal family written under that name. Well...it’s Ignis… Have a look next time you’re in a book shop”_ said Prompto.  
  


  
The afternoon passed quickly for the three men, but Gladio had to return to Lestallum to finish his work in the power plant.  
  
Prompto went with him because he needed a lift to the train station, he needed to go home that same night. Before leaving Ignis’ place, Prompto trapped Ignis between his arms, nearly hanging from the taller man. Mumbling something to his ear, making him smile softly.  
  
_"Go see him again"_  
  
_"He was very happy about spending the day with you"_  
  
_"He has not forgotten you, he will never forget you"_  
  
_"You will not believe me, but he has always loved you"_  
  
  
_“You burned your name into his heart and will never be erased or replaced, Gladio. Please, go to see him again while you can… I wish I could do that…”_  
  
  
  
Prompto particularly insisted that Gladio return to visit Ignis and his words rumbled in his head as he worked at night on the power plant.


	3. Mirage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio sighed as he read the title of the last volume “The Eagle’s Rest: The Amicitia Anthology”. He flicked through the pages, recognising very familiar names, but his hand shook when he read: “The hand of the king holds the shield. The shield protects the hand until it breaks”
> 
> ‘Fuck sake, Iggy… Those fuckers almost killed me, all because of you’ muttered for himself.
> 
> The third chapter is here! I like to upload chapters quite often. Chapter four is on the go!

The white-haired man felt a hand on his shoulder, returning him to the real world after being engulfed in extreme concentration without losing the trace of the tangled wiring. Thousand of little coloured threads were curling and knotting all around the inner parts of the panel. He spent the whole night working on the damn machine. When it seemed that everything was going well, he found another small flaw that made him take a step back in the repair. A little mistake and all the hard work will go down the drain in a second and that was the last thing he needed

  
_“Hey, Rob!”_ said Gladio, lifting his head, out of the massive condenser we have working on.   
  
_“You’re still here?”_ asked Rob, surprised.   
  
_“What time is it?”_  
  
 _“It’s 6 o’clock, we’ve just started the morning shift”_  
  
 _“ Fuck… Really?”_  
  
 _“Yeah… So, how's it goin’?”_ asked Rob, sipping his espresso.  
  
 _“Assuming that the conductive metal plates were all burned and I had to replace them, not too badly. Luckily, I had spare parts in the pickup”_ explained Gladio, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his arm.  
  
 _“Oh, man, that’s awesome… Those fuckers… they didn’t dare to confess that they screwed really big shit with the system of the Sector Eight. I understand that it's a pretty big job that you weren’t expecting…”_ tried to apologise, somehow, Rob.   
  
_“Yeah… It was almost altogether in a mass of metal. I had to pull off whole parts”_ said Gladio, pointing to a mass of blackened iron in the floor, next to his toolbox with his welding iron.  
  
Rob took a few minutes to examine the metal scraps _“I’ll take a report of this… It’s not normal to find the internal plaques like that… By the way, have you took a break?”_  
  
 _“No. I’ve been working all night non stop taking advantage of the generators working low”_ The weariness made notable damage to Gladio's face. Apart from the soot, dirt and dry sweat, his natural dark circles were more accentuated with the lack of rest.  
  
 _“Why don’t you go to have some rest and come back later, when the sun goes down a bit and it's not so hot?”_ Rob had a look at his watch _“It is very possible that if, you stay here, you will weld yourself to the machine before eleven o'clock”._  
  
 _"Yeah ... you're right ... I'll finish this side and I'll be done."_  
  
 _“Great. See you later, then”_ said Rob, giving a friendly tap to Gladio’s arm.  
  
Finishing what he was doing when Rob popped over, took more time than expected again. Apparently, the work in the power plant was more tedious than he imagined, although, on the other hand, more work means more pay and Rob promised to compensate him from his hard work.   
  
Gladio showered at the plant. The water and the disinfectant took part in the fatigue down the drain, clearing his mind and relaxing his tired body. When he left, he didn’t feel like going to sleep, so he went to a coffee shop for breakfast and enjoyed a few pastry bites while sipping a coffee and flicked through the pages of the local newspaper. There were a few groups formed by women who,clearly, had just left the night shift of the power plant, like him. A group of them looked at him out of the corner of their eyes and whispered between them, smiling and flirting. Although his white hair gave him a more mature appearance than what he was, it was a feature that made him even more exotic. He still kept muscle tone and his skin was even darker from working outdoors, so his long braid, that fell between her shoulders, emphasize especially, along with his amber eyes.  
  
He smiled back at them. He had enough of women after Dhalia, but still, he liked to flirt with them. He found it funny and it was a great mood-lifter when he felt down. When leaving the premises, he greeted the ladies graciously with a smile, a bow of the head and a wink, making the ladies gasp and stifle a scream.

  
  
Taking advantage of the morning's cool breeze, he decided to go for a walk around the city, this time to the center, wondering where the remains of the old market were and visiting a couple of relatively new stores, although they did not seem so. He bought simple snacks for keeping them in the hotel, while he thought he needed something to get distracted during downtime, so he went to a nearby bookstore.  
  
The bookshop looked careless and dusty, almost the same as the black-haired disinterested shopkeeper, who remained silent holding a large book that seemed about to tear itself apart. He glanced briefly at Gladio and looked down again to the pages without saying a word, a strange gesture compared to how friendly the people in Lestallum used to be.  
  
The books seemed to be piled up without order or meaning. Some piles were on the ground, and it was clear that they had spent more time than required there. Aware of the chaos, Gladio decided to approach the shopkeeper.   
  
_“... Excuse me, do you have anything from L.S. Reditus?”_ he asked, expecting a negative answer.  
  
 _“Top left. There’s a few of them…”_ answered the black-haired man, without taking his eyes off his book.   
  
_“Thanks”._  
  
Five different volumes written by L.S. Reditus were scattered on the shelf. Gladio read curious the titles of the books:  
  
 _“The Legacy of Light”._ First edition was there. He could tell it was printed locally.   
_“Lights from the Night sky”_  
 _“The Caelums. Biography”_  
 _“Old Tenebrae. Atlas.”_ Collaboration with cartographer Stibio Griseo.  
  
Gladio sighed as he read the title of the last volume _“The Eagle’s Rest: The Amicitia Anthology”_. He flicked through the pages, recognising very familiar names, but his hand shook when he read: _“The hand of the king holds the shield. The shield protects the hand until it breaks”_  
  
 _‘Fuck sake, Iggy… Those fuckers almost killed me, all because of you’_ muttered for himself.  
  
It was a book that he refused to read for years after what happened to Noctis, Ignis and Tenebrae. He felt he could't cope with the words from a stranger talking about his home, family, friends and honor but it seemed that now was the time to do so, as these words were coming from somebody very important.No one would keep the memory of the Royal family and Tenebrae with so much love and respect like Ignis.

He took the book it in one hand and went to the table to pay. The shopkeeper attended him with a scary smile when he saw Gladio take the money out of his pocket, but it seems that he forgot to say goodbye his client absorbed by his reading. Gladio returned to the hostel pressing his book against his chest, hiding the title and keeping Ignis' memories close to his heart.  
  
  
Back at the hostel, Gladio hadn't much time to entertain himself. He lied down on the bed while reading his new book but he fell asleep without realizing it, reading the words that Ignis dedicated to himself and his family.  
  
Trapped between some mysterious soft arms, he felt a warm breath in the gap between his shoulder and neck, going across his Adam's apple. He recognized the smell of his skin right away, provoking him a homelike and peaceful feeling, making him shiver, whispering his name.  
  
 _"Is that you, Ignis?"_  
  
Lips rolled down slowly, from his jawline to his collarbones. His chest pressing against his, rubbing lustfully in a wavy move, starting from his hips and up. Raging erection pressing against his crotch made Gladio lose his breath. He looked down to met those emerald eyes, who looked him intermittently, as his muscular body took whole Ignis’ attention.  
  
For some reason, Ignis radiated a different, more carefree aura and his face looked... different, but Gladio couldn’t distinguish what it was. He stopped overthinking when Ignis' tongue brushed the thick drops that crowned his gland.  
  
His tongue lowered and rose languidly, unhurriedly, taking every inch of his length. Ignis's lips burned on him wildly with passion. The rhythmic movements that Ignis made were ruffling his hair little by little. Gladio knew how much it disturbed him that and lowered a hand to brush Ignis' fringe out of his forehead. But his hand found another fate. Instead of caressing Ignis’ hair, was holding the thin white bed sheet.   
  
_‘...What a letdown…’_  
  
The bulge of his crotch was the only thing that kept being real, thereby, holding still to the sweet dream and still hanging in that ethereal limbo, began to caress his length with his hand slowly, getting off his wet underwear down to his thighs with his free hand. With the memory of the smell of his skin, still burning in his nose, his penetrating jade gaze and his feline movements, Gladio was brought to orgasm quickly, covering his belly and hand with his seed while clenching his teeth with a mixture of joy and frustration at having to finish himself alone. Again.  
  


  
  
That same night, Gladio returned to the power plant to finish the work that had begun previously. The condenser remained untouched, thanks to the Astrals for that. He finished his work before the morning shift came in. He left the invoice to the manager with his data and went out for a walk to clear himself before the first rays of sunlight appeared.   
  
The dream he had had before had affected him more deeply than he thought. Besides, Prompto's words did nothing but echoes inside his head.  
  
 _"Should I call him?... Fuck it’s too early"_ he thought to himself, looking at his watch _“He was always an early bird, but this is a tad too much”_  
  
Thinking of the best excuse to call him, he returned to the hotel and had breakfast at the small wrought-iron table on the small balcony of the room, reading the book that put a "Dead or Alive" sign over his head. The book was misinterpreted by many bounty hunters, that abounded in the hardest years of the Darkest Years as Ignis mentioned the treasure of the Caelums which, of course, did not refer to a treasure of monetary value. Also said that the only man of the Amicitia Lineage was able to be found as his body was covered _“with inked wings”_  
  
 _“...Fuck…_ Ignis _… There’s no way that a bunch of rednecks will understand this way of writing”._   
  
Sighing, now understanding everything, he closed the book and went to take a shower.  
  
He took his time and enjoyed from a short soak, a quick trim as his beard was getting too messy and got dressed slowly. His phone went on. It was a call from the power plant.   
  
_“Hello?”_  
  
 _“Hi, Gladio! It’s Rob!”_  
  
 _“Hi. I finished earlier this morning, so I left”_  
  
 _“Yeah, that's fine. I have your bill here, I’m just sorting it out”_  
  
 _“Perfect. Thanks”_  
  
 _“Are you still around?”_ Rob softened his voice, suspiciously.   
  
_“It’s something wrong?”_  
  
 _“No, no! The condenser works like new! Just… well, we just had a panel that gone off suddenly. Is one of those that control the big electronic valves… You know, we can’t have any more leaks”_  
  
 _“...Right”_  
  
 _“I understand that this might not be in your plans…”_  
  
 _“Not really, but I can come later and have a look”_  
  
 _“I’d appreciate it if you do…”_  
  
 _“Sure, no problem”_  
  
 _“Perfect, we'll talk later about some kind of extra compensation for such a short notice"_  
  
  
  
 _“…Rob seemed very keen to pay more for the extra work”_ though Gladio, when, without thinking, he dialed the Ignis number on his mobile phone.  
  
  
  
 _“Good morning. Reditus speaking”_  
  
 _“Good morning Ignis, It’s Gladio. Hope I didn’t wake you up”_ It took Gladio a few seconds to realize that it was Ignis on the other side of the line, the pseudonym had misled him.  
  
 _“Oh, Gladio… What a surprise… I have been awake for several hours. If you tried to find me in bed, you failed”_  
  
The thought of Ignis in bed made Gladio chuckle and blush, feeling dirty for what he had done before, thinking of him.  
  
 _“I suppose that Prompto kept you abreast of the situation…”_  
  
 _“...Sorry, what?”_  
  
 _“About the electrical work required in my apartment, if we can call it that way”_  
  
 _‘Shit...Prompto!…’_ though for himself, running his hand through his still-wet hair. _“I’m afraid he didn’t just yet”_ Gladio lied.   
  
_“My apologies if it has sounded too daring, as you were not aware of the situation…”_  
  
 _“It’s OK. Are you having problems?_ ”  
  
 _“The building's wiring is very old. I believe it was installed before the Darker Years, but it is just a supposition. Sometimes the fuses jump and I run out of electricity in big part on my apartment. I must admit that it can take days until someone fixes it, for the reason that, obviously, it's not something I can fix on my own”_  
  
 _“...I see”_  
  
 _“Prompto told me that you would be several days for Lestallum ... If it's not too much to ask, would you mind taking a look at the installation, please? I'll pay you.”_  
  
 _“Of course!”_ said Gladio, automatically _“Will work for you if I come this morning?”_  
  
 _“I suppose… as long you are not busy with the power plant...”_ Ignis’ voice seemed shocked.  
  
  
As they agreed, Gladio he went down the stairs of the hostel fiddling with his pickup keys, forgetting to braid his hair for being too concentrated trying to remember the way to the hidden Cautionum.  
  
  
  
  
  
It was not particularly difficult for him to recognize the hints that Prompto had indicated to him the previous time. The road went from leafy green vegetation to dry, brown, until almost a wasteland progressively. Respecting the guidelines, he left his yellow pickup next to the big stone and continued on foot. Briskly, it was not such an arduous walk.  
  
He passed again in front of the abandoned shacks. _“I'm sure I'm close”_ thought to himself. This time, a blue van was parked on the side of the road. Was old and rusty, just like his pickup. A similar model.   
  
_“Hey… you!”_ a voice came from the same direction of the vehicle. _“What are you doing here?”_ kept saying with a hostile and authoritarian tone.  
  
 _“I’m coming to see a friend,”_ said Gladio, puffing his chest out at the vision of the man approaching him.  
  
 _“No one friend is living here. Go back to where we came from if you don’t want to have any problems”._ The man was well-built, probably around the same age as Gladio with even darker skin. The sides of his hair were shaved Kingsglaive style. The rest of his hair was covered with long dreadlocks, tied messily in the back of his neck. His clothes were full of dust and some dried bloodstains. A purple, frayed and torn scarf was falling from his shoulders, Gladio recognised that particular shade of purple. He was an old Kingsglaive for sure.  
  
 _“Look, I know you want no trouble here and I’m not gonna be the one starting it… I’m coming to see Ignis”._  
  
 _The man reacted after heating that name “... Right… If that so, how come that he didn’t let anyone know?”_  
  
 _“I have no idea how things work in here… but.”_  
  
 _“Do you have some kind of ID?”_ Rhendel interrupted.  
  
 _“Are you some kind of frustrated police?”_  
  
 _“I’m being_ serious _”_ said Rhendel , teasing and showing the bottom of the gun handle that hung from its hip.  
  
Gladio took his shirt off, showing his inked torso. Put his hands on his head and span around slowly, showing every angle of his tattoo. _“As you can see, Mr. Policeman, I'm over 21”._  
  
Rhendel looked at Gladio with a melancholic glimpse _“...Amicitia… I’ll write down your name in our guest list”._  
  
 _“I appreciate_ that _”_ said Gladio, hanging his shirt from his shoulder, enjoying the freedom that the little hidden place gave to him.   
  
  
  
  
  
The forklift squeaked all the way up to the top. Gladio added it to the list of things to take a look. He continued through the dark corridors, switching on the switches  
he was encountering. None went on.   
  
The metal door opened, revealing the slender figure again.  
  
 _"Good morning, Gladio. Did you find it arduous?"_ asked Ignis.  
  
"Not much. I’ve almost got shot but not really"  
  
 _"We are not used to such sudden visits, I notified Rhendel just when we hung up"_  
  
 _"... I see" said Gladio, approaching the door "Then that bastard was aware"_  
  
 _"My apologies. I’m sure it will be easier next time"_ said Ignis, trying to reach Gladio’s back as he heard him getting close.   
  
_"All went smooth after I’ve shown him my ID"_ replied Gladio.   
  
Ignis' eyes remained perpetually closed, but a gesture of confusion reigned his face after hearing Gladio’s explanations. His long fingers brushed the bare skin of Gladio's shoulder making the blind man gasp and the white-haired one shiver, both feeling that mild spark between them.   
  
_“I was not aware you were that...exposed…”_ added Ignis, still with his hand on Gladio’s shoulder.   
  
_“I was under the spotlight because of someone's fault… I think his name is Reditus”_ Gladio banter. _"I'm accustomed to_ be _exposed"_   
  
_“... So the_ rumours _were certain…”_ said Ignis, visibly worried. _“My deepest_ apologies _”_ said with pain in his words _“It was never my intention…”_  
  
 _“Hey, I'm fine, they were just a group of illiterate retards. Nothing happened”_ said Gladio, taking the blind man by the side of his neck, feeling his pulse getting stronger and stronger, mixing with his own.  
  
 _“Right…”_ Ignis’ sighted, letting one hand rest over Gladio’s shoulder blade, feeling his silky hair between his fingers. The soft sensation made the blind smile timidly. _"... So you grew your hair. I thought you’d shaved"_  
  
The fingers of Ignis brushed Gladio's hair from the roots of the back of the neck down to the tips, figuring out how long his hair was, making Gladio silently pur, lowering and deepen his breath.   
  
Ignis, aware of it, stopped suddenly, blushing and pretending that nothing happened, invited Gladio to sit in his lounge were a little breakfast was waiting for him while trying to hide his flashing red face.  
  
 _"I'll_ explain _you better about this building while having a coffee"_  
  
  
'... Just like the old days'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trivia!
> 
> The shop keeper is inspired by a character of a British series about a Book shop. What's the series and the character name? It's very easy!
> 
> Critiques, comments, kudos and fangirling makes me happy!
> 
> Thank for reading!
> 
> Tw: @NanakiCosmo  
> Ig: @Ginny.Badger


	4. Open wound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio receives a call from Talcott, asking where's Prompto. Seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth and no one cand find him.

Back at the power plant and his laborious work, Gladio couldn’t stop thinking on the lovely afternoon he spent with Ignis. After breakfast and a peaceful and good conversation, he carried on having a check to the many problems that the old building had. It all summed up that the installation was too old and needed a good update, nothing too complicated, but it would take a few days of work.   
  
_“Coffee tasted better next to him.”_ though behind his welding mask, while sparks jumped into it.  
  
The metallic rhythmic noise that reigned at the plant helped him to concentrate even more on his task. Steaming with perspiration all over his body and slight burns that barely felt, he continued until the beginning of the morning shift again and left the plant after a quick update with Rob, settling his farewell. Decided to head straight away to the hostel, as he hardly slept in the last 24 hours. A quick cold shower didn’t erase Ignis’ voice out of his head. Despite they talked about the last few years, and mainly about the work to do in the building. Surprisingly, Ignis dared to ask a little about Dhalia and the kids, just wanting to know that they’re good… At least that’s what Gladio supposed.  
  
  
  
A warm aura invaded him in the gloom, once again. A soft deep voice panted, rhythmical, under his hips. The light in the night-table was on and the blond-ash-haired man lowered his head, resting it on the pillow, making his lower back bend even more. Sun-kissed hands had a hard grip on the hips of his lover, going in and out slowly of his body. Ignis buried his face in the pillows, trying to silence himself but Gladio's hand, gently pulling his hair, moved his head to the side, exposing Ignis's profile. His mouth remained open as he tried to look at him from the corner of his eye.  
  
_“I need to see you”_ whispered between laboured breaths with his characteristic accent.  
  
That made Gladio stop, and caressing his lover’s back, pulled out of his body gently and placed himself on top of Ignis after he rolled over his back. His fair and long legs curled on the small of Gladio’s back, inviting him back to his body again. He couldn’t resist and penetrate him slowly, gently while Ignis tangled his fingers in the long black strands of Gladio’s hair, placing his warm lips over his, losing the contact of the silky skin because of the thrushing that the dark-haired man caused. The bed was crackling as they leave each other breathless. The headboard hit the wall faster and faster. The sheets accompanied on the floor the clothes that the lovers had thrown, victims of desperation for the flesh of each other. Ignis stretched his feet on Gladio's back, tightening his thighs more and more. He knew that the grimace that Gladio had on his face indicated that he was at the limit, so he hugged him and licked the side of his neck languidly, making him shiver and whisper his name while spreading his seed deep inside of him.  
  


_“Now you owe me a gondola ride. Tomorrow night, after dinner at the Maagho”_ He said with a smile, rolling on top of the biggest man.  
  
_"Just if you take a ride on me"_  
  
_"You never nave enought, don't you?"_  
  
"Then, consider it done" said Ignis, lining between Gladio's legs.  
  
  
  
  
A constant buzzing interrupted Gladio’s sweet memory. His phone lit up and vibrated on the bedside table of the hostel. Wiping the sweat of his face with his forearm, answered the call.  
  
_“Hello Gladio…”_ a somber unfamiliar voice said  
_“May I ask who is calling?”_  
_“Yes, sorry, It’s Talcott here.”_  
_“Sorry man, I was sleeping. I’ve been working in the power plant again. It’s everything ok?”_ Gladio asked with rough voice.  
_“Well, that’s why I’m calling you… Is it Prompto still with you?”_  
_Gladio sat up suddenly on the bed “What do you mean by “still”?”_  
_“He texted me and said that he was gonna spend some days with you”_  
  
_‘...Fuck...Prompto…’_  
  
Gladio ran his hand over his face and hair, pulling away from his forehead the wet strands stuck to his perspired skin _“I drove him back to the train station a few days ago. You know, when he delivered the books to Ignis”._  
  
_“...Right…”_ said Talcott, waiting for some more information.  
  
_“I dropped him there on my way back to the power plant. He said he was going back home”_  
  
_“He_ didn’t _”_ Talcott said, worried. “I went to his place but was nobody there. Doesn’t answer the phone either.”  
  
Gladio sighted _“ Where about he lives?”_  
  
_“Pretty close to me. In Cape Caem. In a caravan park. His place is locked… I don’t know where he can be”_  
  
_“Can you contact the local Hunters?”_  
  
_“Yes… I might do”_  
  
_“That’ll be a good idea. Please, let me know if you got any news about him. Meanwhile, I’ll call Ignis to see if he knows anything”_  
  
_“Ok... Thank you”_  
  
Talcott’s voice felt desperate. He wasn’t a person who easily overreacted. Just after hanging up the call with Talcott, he called Ignis.  
  
  
  
Just after hanging up the call with Talcott, he called Ignis  
  
  
_“Hello Ignis”_  
  
_“Good afternoon. How are you?”_  
  
_“Yeah...fine… I have a question for you”_  
  
Ignis remained in silence, waiting for Gladio to start speaking _“Have you heard from Prompto recently?”_  
  
_“Last time I spoke with him you were there… May I ask why?”_  
  
_“Talcott can’t find him. He called me because Prompto told him he was going to spend a few days with me… And it wasn’t true” explained_ Gladio _“I told him to get in touch with the Meldacio hunters”._  
  
_“That’s not normal of him…”_ said Ignis, in a reflective voice. _“ It would be better if I go to Cape Caem and help Talcott with it”_  
  
_“How are you gonna make it there?”_ asked Gladio, worried.  
  
_“I’d ask for a lift to the train station”_  
  
_“Nah, I’ll go with_ you _”_ said Gladio  
  
_“I would like to go as soon as possible. Sure you are still busy at the power plant”._  
  
_“I’m pretty much done. I just need to go later for the last check”_  
  
_Ignis remained silent for a few seconds, clearly developing a plan “How soon you can make it here?”_  
  
_Gladio checked the time, it passed midday “I don’t mind to do the check-up now and collect you afterwards. But it might take a few hours”._  
  
_“...Right… Why not, you come over here, whenever you finish and we drive down to Cape Caem? I’ll call Talcott and I’ll get in touch with the local hunters to see if someone saw him around”._  
  
_“Ok. I’ll call you when I finish”_  
  
_“Please, do_ ” pleaded Ignis  
  
_“Of course… See you later”_ said Gladio  
  
_“Farewell”_  
  
  
With a weight on his stomach and a knot on his throat for what happened, Gladio packed his stuff, just in case, and cancelled his stay in the hostel as it seemed it was going to be a several days journey. He returned as quickly as he could to the power plant but, despite he rushed as much as he could, the complete system check took him several hours, almost until late at night, so decided to call Ingis as arranged.  
  
Still, no news from Prompto but the plan was on, therefore, Gladio got in his yellow pickup and headed off to Cautionum, crossing the cold quarry on foot with his baggage hanging from his shoulder. Luckily, he met Rhendel again, who greeted him this time with his hand on his forehead, leaning from his blue van in the darkness accompanied by his harmonica, who break the silence of the night with a sad blues.  
  
The forklift squeaked all the way up and the metallic echo bounced in the silent, place letting Ignis know of Gladio’s arrival, waiting for him with his apartment door open. Gladio believed that was rude enter someone's house without warning, so he knocked on the metal door with his knuckles.  
  
_“Hello?”_  
  
_“Please, close upon entering”_ Ignis’ voice replied from within.  
  
Gladio closed the door behind him and walked slowly down the hall, following a sweet and spiced scent. He heard rumbling in the kitchen and he went to take a look.  
  
_“I hope you’re hungry. I’m making some dinner”_  
  
Gladio smiled seeing that he would try Ignis’ food once again _“Yeah, always”._ He could sort himself out in the kitchen and Dhalia was pretty good too, but he always missed Ignis’ food.  
  
Ignis turned on himself facing Gladio with a smile. His eyes remained closed. In his apartment the light was so soft that he did not need to wear dark glasses to protect his delicate eyes. After a few seconds, did a grin “Are you coming straight away from the Power Plant, isn’t it? I can smell metal on you”.  
  
Gladio, surprised by Ignis’ sense of smell, apologized for it.  
  
_“You have clean towels in your room. Feel free to have a shower if you fancy” said Ignis, going back to his cooking._  
  
_“...My room?”_ asked Gladio, shocked.  
  
_“You can use the guest room tonight”_  
  
_“I thought we were heading down to Cape Caem_ tonight _”_ said Gladio, confused.  
  
_“I understand it is a matter of extreme urgency, but the roads down to Cape Caem are not safe during nighttime”_ sigh Ignis _“ I spoke with Talcott and still no news from Prompto. Hunters already started with the searching protocols and they will call us all in case they have more news about him. Are you ok with driving before dawn?”_  
  
Seemed reasonable to Gladio. Ignis always knew best and agreed with the plan.  
  
_“Good. Your room is at the end of the hallway. Help yourself”._  
  
  
  
  
  
It was small and dark, as the whole apartment. A single bed occupied mostly the entire place. A wall shelf held few books about Insomnia over a narrow wood desk. Gladio left his stuff in the bed and jumped into the shower before dinner. When he finished, Ignis was still in the kitchen.  
  
_“You’re done?”_ asked Ignis, finishing the curry.  
  
_“_ Yup _”_ said Gladio from the door.  
  
_“My apologies about the room. I know it’s small, I hope you don't feel claustrophobic”_  
  
_“I’ll be fine. Tents are even smaller”_  
  
_“That’s true_ ”  
  
  
  
  
Ignis, sitting in front of Gladio, remained with his eyes closed but he retained the agility of movements as if he could see. Gladio remembered him opening one eye at times. He used to say that he liked to feel the light from time to time, that it brought him good memories. It was strange that, after several years, he suddenly decided to live in such a dark and closed place.  
  
  
  
_“...So...how’s your eyesight?”_ Dared to ask Gladio, as his little revenge for Ignis’ questions about Dhalia while having breakfast the morning before.  
  
_“There’s no_ eyesight _”_ said Ignis, biting  
  
_“But you still can feel the light, right?"_ continued Gladio, softening his voice.  
  
_“Not anymore”_  
  
_“So it got worse?”_  
  
_“... More or less”_ Ignis continued reluctantly to answer Gladio's questions, showing himself bothered.  
  
_“I’m sorry to hear that”_ apologised Gladio. Ignis accepted his apology nodding his head.  
  
  
They remained silent during the rest of the meal. Gladio filled Ignis’ glass every time it was empty and tidied up the table when they finished. While he was doing the washing up, Ignis’ came into the kitchen and made coffee without saying a word. Gladio looked at him while he took a mug with him out of the kitchen.  
  
_“I think it’s time for me to go to sleep. I’ll be upstairs.”_  
  
_“Thanks… goodnight”_ replied Gladio while the blind man walked slowly towards the hall, disappearing behind a fake shelf, that hides a small set of wonky, steep steps, that ascend and swallow him into a dark pitch mass.  
  
__  
“Fuck… I screwed it up this time”  
  
  
Gladio cursed himself for hurting Ignis, once again. Couldn't concentrate on his book about his family. Reading the kind and warm words about the Amicitia's made him feeling like a big mass of crap.  
  
  
He felt that was time to end up that strange day. He left the book on the desk and turned the light on wishing to not to dream again with him tonight as it was happening recently, punishing himself.

And it worked. 


	5. Together again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very sad and rough chapter, so if you're having a bad day or you're apprehensive, please, skip it.

Instead of the ethereal warmth of the latest nights dreams, memories of carrying his slim body, consumed and practically dead, invade him that night.

  
  
  
_“Please… forgive me..._ ” were Ignis’ last words before he lost consciousness.   
  
His blackened and dimmed skin was getting cooler and cooler in his embrace, making him feel useless, unable to do anything for him. For saving him. He pressed him against his chest without obtaining anything back. His head and limbs hung from his inked arms like a ragdoll. Dry blood and dirt covered his clothes and something looked like burst on his face.  
  
Although he no longer wore the ring, his body continued to react as if wearing it, invading him.  
  
He looked up and saw Prompto kneeling in front of Noctis, taking his face in his hands shaking him nervously. Words of encouragement and hope came from the blond's mouth that both knew were fake and that terror invaded Prompto's body. His eyes filled with tears and the grief unbalanced his voice, whispering very close to the prince’s ears.   
  
_“What shall we do now?”_ asked Prompto, turning his face back, curling his arms around Noctis’ head. Tears scielliate on his purple gaze.   
  
_“Fuck knows!”_ Gladio rant at him.  
  
Prompto looked down _“... Is he dead?”_  
  
 _“Are you stupid?”_  
  
 _“...S-sorry, I don’t know...if”_  
  
 _“Shut the fuck up!”_ cried Gladio _“Stop behaving like a kid and shot a goddamn flare!”_  
  
Gladio’s words shook the blond man and started looking for his flare gun on his belt. Put Noctis head on his lap and covering his ears with a hand, pressing his head against his thigh, raise a hand and shoot the flare, hoping that one of the Altissian Army helicopters saw it.   
  
_“...Is the last one... ”_  
  
 _“Our last hope”_  
  


  
  
He could taste the sourness of the weeks he remained in bed, not moving at all and barely living. He couldn't move from his side, spent weeks staring at him, crying for him, holding his loose lifeless hand, watching him fight internally with whatever was trying to take away from this world, from his side. The doctors couldn’t help him much or give a breath of hope to Gladio.   
  
_“The least that can happen to him is that he becomes blind since his eyes seem not to react to any stimulation”._  
  
  
The doctor's words rumbled in Gladio's head, flashing his images of Ignis opening his eye for the first time. Asking who was next to him and why he couldn’t see anything. Handling him his darkened glasses. Helping him to bath, eat, walk… Refusing any act of love that Gladio offered him aside from his basic needs.   
  
The door rumbled and a high pitched voice shouted  
  
 _“Noctis… Is awake!”_  
  
  
  
****  
  
  
A light weight on his hip woke him up. Recognised Ignis’ guest room after a few seconds after opening his eyes, rubbing them with his hands. He lifted his torso, supporting his weight in an elbow and noticed a grey ball of fur lying next to him, purring deeply and calmly. Gladio stared at it and it wiggled his tail as Gladio tried to figure out what was going on with the animal.  
  
 _“...What the…”_  
  
The animal, hearing Gladio’s voice, lifted it’s head and looked at him with his deep blue eyes, firmly.  
  
Gladio noticed something familiar in that animal. He was going to stroke it, but the animal dodged him and jumped down off the bed and began scratching the door, wanting to get out. So he left him go, opening the door slowly. Gladio, still on his pyjama trousers, decided to follow the cat to the kitchen. He could hear the shower next to his bedroom.   
  
The coffee machine turned on and Gladio found a small bowl and cat food, so he could have some company whilst sipping his coffee, leaning on the wall. The animal took time to sniff the food, it seemed that he did not trust the dark-haired man. Finally, after a while, the cat began to eat little by little.  
  
 _“...You remind me to somebody, buddy… Same picky eater as you”_  
  
The bathroom door opened and Gladio popped his head out of the kitchen, discovering Ignis, slicked-back hair covered still with shower haze, wearing just a towel wrapped around his hips.   
  
_“Good morning”_  
  
 _“Good morning. Have I woken you up?” asked Ignis_  
  
 _“No, it was your furry friend who did”_  
  
 _“Oh… I didn’t know he was here. Sometimes spends days hunting around outside”_  
  
 _“I didn’t know you had a cat”_ said Gladio  
  
 _“Well, technically is Prompto’s_ cat _”_ said Ignis, approaching the kitchen _“A couple of years ago Prompto’s health got much worse, si he asked if I could babysit Noct for a bit. But he stayed.”_  
  
 _“Is that some kind of morbid joke?”_ asked Gladio, stunned.   
  
_“Well, that’s the name that Prompto choose for him. I prefer to call him Lucis or just_ mut _at him. But tends to ignore everyone”._  
  
 _“... I see why Prompto called him Noct…”_ sighed Gladio _“Anyway...Coffee?”_  
  
 _“Yes_ please _. I’ll go get changed and I’m back”_  
  
  
  
  
  
Mild blues music muffed the rumbling engine of Gladio's pickup. Windows down and the sun coming up accompanied the two at the beginning of their journey.  
  
 _“Is it dawning yet?”_ asked Ignis, facing the open window, feeling the air on his skin.   
  
_“A while ago”_  
  
 _“How does the sky looks today?”_  
  
Gladio glanced at the horizon. _"The sun is rising between a hill. It has orange tones. The rest of the sky is still quite dark and no black clouds, quite ugly. They don't look very friendly."_  
  
 _“Thank you. I don’t have many chances to ask how the sky looks every day”_  
  
 _“You’re welcome”_  
  
  
Another awkward silence reigned in the car for a while and Gladio felt the need to break it " _You're good? Do you need to stop or anything?”_  
  
 _“Yes. I’m good. Thank you”_  
  
 _“You seem pretty relaxed for how teste you used to get when someone drives for you.”_  
  
 _“Well, I had to get accustomed to it and go with the flow. I really miss driving”_  
  
 _“Sure you miss a lot of stuff”_  
  
 _“...Definitely_ yes , _I do…”_  
  
  
  
  
A halo of melancholy surrounded Ignis' humble confession. It was obvious that he missed many everyday things and small pleasures, but Gladio remembered that Ignis used to console himself with the fact of perceiving a little sunlight in his life when that darkness no longer reigned. With each dawn, the memory of the happy days in Insomnia, his childhood in the citadel and, of course "that" road trip, returned, making him feel somehow enlightened in his own darkness.   
  
  
Gladio noticed that Ignis began to rub his fingers and hands slowly. He felt uncomfortable and somewhat annoying. _“Is everything ok?”_ asked.   
  
_“Nothing to worry about. It seems that I have accidentally touched something viscous and soft”_ complained the blind man. _“I think it is down here”._   
  
Ignis began to feel on the floor between his seat and the door _“I think it must be it_ ” He held the mysterious thing in the palm of his and, showing it to Gladio.   
  
Gladio looked at him quickly and snorted _“It's just a piece of hard doughnut. The other day Prompto was cramming in here when we went to deliver your books."_  
  
Ignis seemed surprised _"... But ... Prompto is diabetic. With his delicate health, he knows perfectly well that he shouldn't be playing on a whim."_  
  
 _“Is really his health so fucked up?”_  
  
Ignis sighed. _"He probably doesn't like me to tell you, but I know you won't say anything ... Prompto suffers, apart from diabetes, very serious respiratory problems. He usually sleeps with an oxygen mask. He lost his leg due to necrosis due to an autoimmune disease He lost the sensitivity of his left side of the body for years and I'm not sure if he regained it again ... "_  
  
 _“Shit… Then it’ll be better if I don’t tell you that we got drunk when we met at the bar in Lestallum”_ confessed Gladio.   
  
_“I’ll pretend I haven’t heard that”_ sigh Ignis, nodding.  
  
 _“Hey, he’s gonna be ok. He's a tough guy”_ Gladio said, taking Ignis’ hand.   
  
_"He is, indeed. But he is also aware that people of his type do not last for many years and due this, he tends to recklessness, sometimes"_ explained Ignis, squeezing Gladio's hand.  
  
 _“So this is not the first time he disappears, huh?”_ Gladio asked.  
  
 _“It is not, but it is the first that disappears for so long”._   
  
“...We'll find him.” said Gladio, releasing Ignis had to change the gear _“That fucking doughnut was sticky. Sorry for that, I hardly had time to check the car "._  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Gladio double-checked Talcott’s address before knocking at the door. He wasn’t truly sure they were in the right place until Talcott himself opened the door.   
  
“Hey, guys… It’s great to see you both. Thank you for making it down here” Talcott hugged both of them as a greeting and invited them in.   
  
He informed them of the current situation; several squads of hunters had been making rounds and asking the locals if they had seen a blond man with a metal leg. But nobody seemed to have seen him. They planned to expand the search radius until they reached Malmalam Thicket and possibly, follow the course of the Wennat river.  
  
“I think that’s a bit exaggerated” said Gladio _“If he’s so fucked and can barely walk without a stick it's impossible that he went so far”._  
  
 _“He might have taken the train?” said Talcott_  
  
 _“To go where?”_ asked Gladio.  
  
 _“...Back to Insomnia?”_ said Ignis, concerned.   
  
_“There’s nothing there. Nor for him, neither for anyone”_ said Gladio, clearly touched.  
  
 _“...He can't have gone far without his oxygen bottle”_ said Ignis.

 _“What?”_ asked Talcott.   
  
“Prompto sleeps using an oxygen mask. Clearly, you can't carry it by himself”  
  
 _“Do you mean that maybe, somebody, collected him from home?”_ Asked Talcott, confused.  
  
 _“Perhaps”_  
  
 _“I suggest that we should just break in his house and check if there’s the oxygen there”_ proposed Gladio.  
  
 _“I understand as because of the situation, it may seem like a solution, but we don't want to cause any problems around here”_ stopped him Ignis.   
  
_“More problems than Prompto being lost? I see then”_ Gladio confronted Ignis’ warning.   
  
_“...Maybe Gladio is right… Maybe we should have a look if there’s any evidence of Prompto being taken away…”_ Talcott said with insecurity in his voice.  
  
 _“Two against one”_ finished Gladio, while Ignis’ stoop up and headed to the main door without saying a word.   
  
  
  
Prompto lived in a caravan park. Entire families lived in tiny spaces. The neighbours were very fond of each other, probably due to the lack of privacy that the caravans offered. Prompto's place was away from all the family areas. His neighbour, Mr Veteris, was a very old, almost catatonic gentleman who barely knew anything or could hear anything. Of course, it was someone they couldn't ask or worry about when they tried to knock the door down. Talcott tried to unlock the door with several tools without any success. Ignis insisted on continuing to try but Gladio, who was running out of patience, lunged at the door with several shoulder thrusts and several kicks in the lock. Until it opened.  
  
Ignis perceived a strong and characteristic stench before Gladio entered, but he couldn’t warn him quickly enough. He felt Talcott next to him, so he held his arm, stopping him to get inside. Gladio's slow steps and his complaints about the smell made the obvious very clear although none of the three dared to admit.  
  
Gladio followed mild rumble noise and a trail of photos that were scattered on the floor. He reached down and took several with his hands. They were all photos of Noctis and Prompto. He spread some with his boot. There were pictures of the trip they took years ago, where it all started. Some even too intimate to pay attention to. In the bottom part, a golden flash shone in front of the window pane. Gladio turned around and gestured at Talcott, stopping him from entering. Prompto rested forever in front of the window, bathed in the light of the poor sun of that day. Sitting in his chair, with the gas mask still hanging around his neck, one of his hands was holding a picture of them both, the prince and him, kissing while smiling. It was a very tender image for how hard reality was.  
  
Gladio might had felt a very similar stab in his heart, just as Prompto presented when he discovered his lifeless body. Nailed in his chair by a knife of the Kingsglaive. Recreating vaguely and in a much more decadent way, the dead of the last king of Insomnia.  
  
Although the dried blood had dripped down his body, he presented a placid face. He looked pleased, calm and satisfied.  
  
Two pieces of paper rested on the next table. With trembling calligraphy and ink scattered on the surface of the paper, "Talcott" and "Ignis" could be read. Gladio could hear Talcott sobbing at the front door.  
  
  
  
  
Funeral services confirmed that he died several days ago. As he left written in the farewell letter for Talcott, he didn't want a great funeral. He asked to be cremated, in order to end the remains of the Empire that remained in his DNA. His last three friends scattered his ashes in the sea.  
  
Gladio and Ignis decided to stay several days to help Talcott to empty the Prompto’s place, not an arduous task at all as he didn't have too many belongings. The photos that were left in the albums were split among the three friends. His furniture and clothes were donated to the people of the caravan park and the charity, following his indications in the letter.  
  
Gladio and Ignis shared a caravan for a few days. The bigger man preferred to sleep outdoors, as he used to do when he was younger, thinking about all the years they spent together with Prompto.  
  
 _“...He’s gone like the Prince… as he always wanted…”_ said Ignis, sat down in a chair next to the campfire.  
  
 _“...Are you curious about that letter?”_ asked Gladio, sitting in front of him on the floor.   
  
_“I tryly am, I cannot deny it_ _”_  
  
 _“Do you want me to read it for you?”_  
  
 _“...Don’t worry”_  
  
 _“I would love to do that for you. You need to know his last words for you… It won’t be the first time that I see you cry”_ teased Gladio  
  
 _“I’m not concerned about crying but… You are right. Go on then”_  
  
After having Ignis’ permission, Gladio stood up, went inside the caravan and took the letter out with him. He sat down next to Ignis, just on his feet. The friction of the paper and the sigh of Gladio prepared Ignis to hear the last words of his very fond friend.  
  
Gladio's tone of voice was changing as the text progressed. Written chaotically, saying goodbye to Ignis and apologizing for "those sad years they spent together." He was grateful that he took care of Noct, the cat and himself. Although he kept cursing the many times he stopped him from ending his life.  
  
But Prompto did not like to leave a bad taste in his mouth.  
  
  
 _"They are waiting for your answer. You know who they are. Everything is ready for you and you just have to take the last step. It is a pity that I will not be with you to be able to push you into the abyss._  
  
 _Don't you want to see the stars again at night?_  
  
 _Don't you want to see the sun again?_  
  
 _Don't you want to write by your own handwriting instead of using a noisy and rough machine?_  
  
 _Don't you want to see his eyes again once again?_  
  
 _Don't worry about the money, everything is paid._  
  
  
 _Feel free to hate me now._  
  
  
 _Send my love to the big guy too_

  
 _I love you dude”_  
  
  
  
Gladio folded the paper between his hands as tears rolled down his cheeks. Ignis was still in his chair, stiff, with a sad face but shed no tear.  
  
 _“I didn't know you had become so numb”_ Gladio sighed  
  
 _“I’m not heartless… I just… can’t cry”_ Ignis confessed.   
  
Gladio looked at him, perplexed, lifting his face.   
  
_“I’ve lost my_ eye _”_ said Ignis, pointing to the side of his face where wasn’t covered with the scar. _“Due to the light, I started having eye problems, so I kept it closed for several months. For some strange reason, I had a terrible infection that affected the eyeball and the lachrymal. I lost my eye and my sadness with it.”_  
  
 _“I'm sorry I thought badly about you”_ Gladio apologized.  
  
 _"... It doesn't matter ... Anyway, it was me who turned away from you years ago. It's normal for you to think this way"._  
  
 _“Can you explain to me what Prompto is talking about in his letter?”_ Gladio asked, wanting to change the path of the conversation.   
  
_“He’s talking about Labotec's medical team. The same ones who created the prosthesis. His leg”._ Explained Ignis, not very satisfied to have to do it. _“They are a team of renegade scientists and doctors of the old Empire. Their work is based on implanting artificial parts that merge and copy the body impulses and organs. Prompto's leg was attached to his body, that why he had a very fluent movement with it ... relatively, of course.”_  
  
Gladio remained silent, listening to Ignis' words, trying to digest everything that was happening in those strange days and the extravagant explanation of the blind man.   
  
_“... In conclusion... He wants me to have an artificial eye implanted”._  
  
 _“That sounds great!”_ exclaimed Gladio.  
  
 _“...I have my objections regarding the operation”_ continued Ignis. _“It is a very delicate process. They should connect the eye to my nervous system, and it is not an easy task. I can lose sensitivity or control in parts of my body, or even die at the operating table”_  
  
 _“ So it's not as pretty as it_ seems _”_ said Gladio.   
  
_“...Not really”_  
  
 _“But you don't have to decide it now”..._   
  
_“I know…”_  
  
  
Thin and cold raindrops interrupted the conversation of the two men. Suddenly, a lightning bolt broke the sky in two, freeing from the sky all the tears that Ignis could not drop for the death of his friend, putting out the bonfire, pushing the two men to sleep that night under the same roof. Taking the first step to get closer. 


	6. Reverie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> After an angsty chapter, here's a sweet little chapter to warm up a bit. It's full of fluff and memories from the past. 
> 
> Hope you like it!

Outside was raining cats and dogs, making it impossible for the bigger man to sleep under the stars, as he used to do when he was younger and still loved to do it whenever he had the opportunity. The caravan was narrow, perfect for one or for a couple that loved “too much” each other. The kitchen was a slim countertop with wall cabinets. Just in the front, there was a table with benches, easily convertible into a bed and above that table, quite close to the ceiling, there was a space that could be used as an auxiliary bed for someone of medium or thin build. The toilet was a confined space in the corner. Along with the big windows with thin blinds, it all screamed “no privacy” everywhere.

Ignis managed every night to assemble the bed and disassemble it at dawn. Once he got the trick wasn’t a difficult task, so he built the bed pretty quickly in front of Gladio’s eyes, to show him the available space in the caravan.

_“Is that a double bed?”_ asked the white-haired man, arms crossed in front of his chest, leaning on the only door.

_“That's what Talcott said but I feel it too tight even for just myself. Do you think you can sleep in here?”_ asked the blind man, pointing with one hand to the bed. 

_ “And where are you supposed to sleep?” _

_"In the bed above."_ Ignis said pointing to the extra bed above his head.

It looked like just a board or maybe a wide shelf to Gladio _“It’s too short. You don't fit in there… I can sleep on the floor”_

_“I will not allow you to sleep on the floor. Tomorrow morning you have to drive up to Cautionum. You need proper rest”_ said Ignis, authoritatively.

_ “As you will understand, I will not let my blind friend sleep on the floor while I am at ease in bed. No way. Is not gonna happen”.  _

_“... And how do you plan to sleep on the floor if your sleeping bag is soaked?”_ asked Ignis. 

_ “ I’ll use a blanket” _

He sighed. It had been very hard days and fatigue and tension took hold of them. Ignis, trying to avoid saying the obvious, preferred to give indirect messages. _“There’s just one thick blanket here… Look, we are getting nowhere with this conversation”_ He felt outraged with this matter and Gladio could sense it. 

_“...I’ll take the left side then”_ said, hoping to finish with the uncomfortable conversation.

Gladio had mixed feelings about sharing the bed. He didn't like the idea of sharing such a narrow bed, knowing that they were both big men, especially himself. Obviously, it wasn't going to be a night of full rest. Adding to it, having to share a bed with his ex still being attracted to him. His recent dreams and vivid memories had only fueled that feeling.

It had been a long time that he had no close contact with anyone. Not even a sporadic relationship. Too busy to have to deal with potential dramas in his new simple life. He also had no idea of Ignis' thoughts towards him. Does he have a partner? Everything pointed to no. Would he be attracted to someone? There was no way to know it, apart from asking him straightaway. He has always been very reserved about his feelings and Gladio didn't plan to cross that line. And even less that night. No matter how much he wanted to know it, he wasn’t going to put any more stress on the situation.

Ignis locked himself in the bathroom to get changed and have a shower. Gladio could hear the latch before the water run. He wanted some space before he was pushed to get stuck next to Gladio in that reduced space.

While waiting for his turn, Gladio made coffee. One who possibly regretted drinking by the bad appearance of the coffee maker. He sat on the edge of the bed, which clicked the moment he lent his thighs over it, to continue reading the book Ignis had written about his family. The words painted a tender smile on Gladio's face bringing him memories about his father. 

Soon Ignis left the bathroom in pajamas. Still looking tense. _"I hope I left you enough hot water"_

_"Don't worry, If not I can go outside with my shampoo and take advantage of the storm. I’ll be alright"_ Joked Gladio, trying to break the tension. 

_‘...I might need a cold shower before getting in bed, anyway’_ though the white-haired man for himself. He wasn't made of stone and the smell of Ignis' skin seemed to get stronger and stronger, invading the caravan with a charming mist. Unable to escape from it. He couldn’t deny he had thoughts of quickly touching himself under the shower, but Ignis's sharp ear and the poor soundproofing of that space weren’t two elements that played on his side. He turned on the tap of the cold water and without thinking too much, got under the icy stream

When Gladio came out, Ignis was already in bed, on the side that corresponded to him, very close to the edge, leaving as much space as possible for the bigger man. 

_“Did you had enough hot water?”_ asked Ignis, concerned. 

_“Yes, I did. Thank you”_ Lied Gladio, standing in from of the bed, while Ignis was lying down, placing his pillow correctly. 

_“I’m gonna turn the light off”_ said Gladio, letting Ignis know he was about to get in the bed. 

_“It makes no difference for me”_ Ignis replied sharply

_ “... Yeah, I guess”. _

The bed creaked again when Gladio got in. Ignis felt the awkward crawling of the bigger man. It was the first time in years that he was crawling in his bed, but this time he wasn’t crawling on him as how he used to be. 

Gladio tried to accommodate himself with coarser movements than expected. Ignis remained still like a statue, lying on his side, with his back facing to Gladio. He did the same and lied on his back facing to Ignis, taking a lot of the blanket with him. They had a tit for tat with the blanket, accompanied by several "sorry" and several "you're uncovering me".

After a few minutes of settling, Ignis stopped fighting for the blanket and his breathing became slower and deeper. Gladio couldn't sleep, he was too tense and the intense street lamps that accompanied the storm outside didn't make it very easy for him to do so. He fights against himself to admit that he was much turned on that expected with that situation. Being so close to him, his smell was so intense that he could taste, burning his throat, twitching his arms wanting to reach him. He just has to roll over and make him his, once again. He could remember everything he liked. He had a list of his erogenous zones etched on fire: His rosy nipples, his bony hips, his soft buttocks ... and his favorite, the side of his long neck.

Gladio turned his face slowly. Ignis moved. He was sleeping on his back with his face on his side, facing now Gladio. The white-haired man watched his face closely, trying to memorize every detail now that he had no witness to uncover him. 

The orange light coming from the window faded all the thin gray trails of his hair. He still had acne marks after so many years, but they didn’t disfigure his beauty. It was one of the features that changed with him. Gladio still remembered that bursting acne on his face that Ignis tried so hard to hide behind his glasses, his books and his fringe when he was younger. 

The first time Gladio realized Ignis’ acne was when he was already too close to him, holding his glasses with one of his chunky hands after picking them up from the floor and circling the small of his back with the other arm, stopping him to ran away from him through the maze that was the Citadel’s library, as he used to do. Ignis, a prisoner in Gladio’s arms, held his research books firmly, pressing them against his chest and stopped breathing when he felt the meaty lips of the tallest boy on his, sealing his mouth, not knowing what to do but try not to melt between his arms. Gladio used to kiss his acne scars when Ignis felt that the others used to laugh at him. Gladio never felt uncomfortable about them, his only concern always was to not harm his delicate skin. 

The small bump of his nose now was more pronounced, but Gladio always thought it was very cute. He liked to run his finger up and down his nose when Ignis’ slept and making him go mad telling him that had that bump so he could hold his glasses better and he was destined to be called “specs” by His Highness.

The scar on his lips was barely noticeable, just like the other little ones that were spread across his face, making him wonder about that time he got too carried away and bit him so hard that made his lip bleed, tasting his blood while Ignis’ hissed, still unsure if it was for pain or pleasure after many years.

His eyebrows were still divided into sections due to lack of hair where the scars were. His little moles are just where Gladio remembered. Like a personal constellation on his skin, just for him for trace imaginary line with his fingers, when Ignis lied under him covered by sweat and kisses morning dew. 

Still, he missed so much those emerald eyes staring back at him. He knew they would never come back, but Prompto's letter reminded him that perhaps there was a probability that they would return. Somehow, someday. 

Part of his fringe fell on his face, and Gladio, as he used to do in the old days, ran his fingers over his forehead, pulling his hair away from his face. A simple gesture that came out so naturally that he didn't realize. 

Ignis, asleep, smiled timidly and tenderly.

It was the first time he saw his smile in days. Under the circumstances, he didn't blame him. No one was in the mood for fun. He didn't even know when it was the last time he smiled himself. Maybe that afternoon, with Talcott, when they were looking and talking about at all the pictures that Prompto had jealously stored as gold in lots of albums as a priceless treasure. It was probably that same moment, when he noticed the soft touch of Ignis' hair, brushing it with his fingers again and again slowly, making sure to not wake him up. That instant put his mind at ease, making him plunge little by little into a very deep sleep, facing each other, caressing his face and neck while falling asleep.

A rhythmic noise woke Ignis and it wasn’t the storm. He opened the glass of his watch to feel its hands in the dial. It was 2:47 in the morning.

He snorted as he remembered that Gladio snored at night when he was too tired. Everything pointed that over the years, snoring has become more frequent on him. 

_ ‘Astrals… Gladio...’ _

He called his name whispering several times, but Gladio didn't answer. He reached his arm and shook it several times. He still had no answer other than the damn snoring that seemed to get deeper and deeper every time Ignis insisted on waking up Gladio. 

Gladio's skin was hot. Very hot. It was like a stove. Ignis ran his fingers very slowly through his skin, advancing from the elbow to the shoulder, through the trapeziums and the side of his neck. The lack of fabric made him knew that he wasn’t wearing any top. His fingertips ran into a lock of hair. He traced it with his fingers to feel how long it was, brushing it between his fingers. He remembered Gladio had long hair several times, but not as long as he had it now. Feeling the softness of his hair along with a mild vetiver scent coming from his shampoo, he wondered who he would look like with white hair. It could make a very pleasant contrast with his skin color.

That thought reminded him of Prompto again, laughing at Gladio’s hair the day they both went to his house. A feeling of sadness invaded him again, revoking the words he whispered in his ear when he said goodbye to him last time they met.

_“I wish someone did for me what I have done for you today. I don't have that much fortune, you know that, but now, I’m gonna take advantage of it and you can't stop me. I love you, Igs.”_

Ignis was aware of Prompto's thoughts. He spent many years in bed, stopped eating, drinking… Hopelessly wanting to believe, wanting to live but unable to find the strength to do it after Noctis’ death... It wasn’t the first time he had tried to commit any stupidity, the only good thing was the previous times he did not succeed. Without Noctis, Prompto felt empty, worthless, soulless.

He tried to get rid of that sad thoughts as he couldn’t get the pain off his body. Instead, he kept caressing Gladio's face to calm his sorrow. His rough beard and the deep scars were still there. It was him. Undoubtedly. Now he knew it for sure. 

He still had that tiny scar on his cheekbone when he defended him from bullies who called him nerd during weeks. He was attacked by four unlucky miserable boys and, after a storm of punches going all directions, Gladio was the last man standing. Face and fists full of his own blood mixed with the aggressors’, Gladio turned on himself and smiled at him saying “They won’t get closer to you again. You’re safe”, while Ignis hid in behind some bushes before running away from him.

_"What a pair ... we must make a very bad impression together... both of us with a marked face"_

He followed the line of his jaw with the tip of his fingers, barely touching his skin, feeling his warmth, and followed down the neck, noticing the bump of his Adam's Apple and that little gap at the bottom of his neck, where he used to hide his face from the world after a hard day and where he used to drink his sweat on one of those nights they spent sighing at each other’s mouth. 

Without being able to cry, Ignis feel empty and needy but was too reserved to admit it to anyone. On an impulse, he surrounded Gladio with one arm and hid his face in his favorite place, as he used to. Under Gladio's deep breath, Ignis felt his strong heartbeat, easing Prompto and his grief. Swapping that dark feeling for comfort. This time, was a real comfort. Recharging his heart.

Gladio felt an intense tingling in his arm. He could barely feel the tips of his fingers or move it properly. He tried to open his eyes under an intense light coming from the sun this time, but it was blinding him. The sun had not shone so brightly for days. 

Added to that pins and needles, he felt a weight on his shoulder and, with his eyes still closed, he moved his face to bump into Ignis' hair. Still sleepy, he buried his nose between the strands of his hair and took a deep breath, getting drunk with his smell.

Ignis rested his head in the space between the chest and the shoulder of Gladio. He passed an arm around Ignis’ shoulders. Ignis hugged Gladio with one arm around his waist. Gladio ran his free forearm through his eyes, covering them from the light, trying to fall asleep again feeling Ignis’ tender embrace after getting a better position for his blood flow. 

_ ‘...This just feels...Right… As it should be…’ _

  


The alarm of Ignis’ phone went off, and he tried to roll over his back to turn it off but something was on his way. He moved, trying to escape from something unknown, but he felt his smell, his warmth and the heartbeat that made him fall asleep. Gladio had him tightly hugged and Ignis couldn’t stop the blush to reach his cheeks from that sensation. He hadn’t woken up feeling protected for a long time, unleashing slightly old restricted sensations in his heart. The alarm, still ringing getting louder and louder, along with Ignis movements woke up Gladio, who growled softly when Ignis sat up in bed. 

_“Good morning”_ Gladio yawned loudly.

_“Good morning”_ Ignis replied, clearing his throat and getting out of Gladio’s arms, pretending that it didn’t happen. _“Did you slept well?”_

_“Yeah… I think so”_ said the bigger man, sitting up stretching his back and chest. _“And you? I hope I didn’t take too much space”_

_ “It wasn’t the space that disturbed me. You snore” _

_“... Yeah, but that’s not new”_ Scoffed at Ignis’ tone of voice. 

_“...Really loud”_ complained Ignis.

_“I’m sorry”_ laughed Gladio when he saw Ignis’ smile.

_‘...I may have snored at nighttime, but you were curled in my chest’_ though Gladio observing Ignis making coffee ridiculously close to the bed where he was sitting up. _‘But I can’t tell him that...’_ He was dying to see his reaction but he didn't want to put him in an awkward situation. With the smell of Ignis' hair still on his skin, coffee that morning tasted sweeter.

Farewell with Talcott was hard. Now he was left alone, without a partner or friend to take care of and give each other a bit of company. It was going to be a very hard blow to overcome for everyone, but especially for Talcott, now that the last few years had been so close to each other. 

Ignis and Gladio spent a big part of the morning with Talcott. It was difficult for the three of them to say goodbye, but they had to continue with their lives just as Prompto would like. 

He wanted them to be happy. I wanted their lives to be filled with happiness, quietness and without regrets of "what could have been if ..."

With the pickup full of memories of Prompto, they made their way back home at noon. Soft old-style music accompanied the two men on the road. Ignis was returning to his favorite position in the car seat. Slightly reclined and facing the window, feeling the air on his face, he enjoyed the music he had chosen himself. 

The vision of Ignis sitting peacefully in his van made Gladio smile. He was glancing at him from time to time, remembering that moment of lucidity in the sleep when he was curled in his arms. Skin to skin. Heart to heart. 

Gladio seemed to see a picture of Noctis and Prompto in a similar position on the floor when they found Prompto on his particular throne in his caravan.

_“Did you know about Noctis and Prompto being that close?”_ asked the white-haired man, taking a quick look at the blind man's face. 

_“I did not know anything before Noctis death. With everything that happened with the Empire, Lady Lunafreya, Ardyn ... I had no way of knowing. They never told me anything. I suppose for fear that I was opposed."_ said Ignis. 

_“And you would have opposed it?”_ dared to ask Gladio. 

_"At that time, I doubt I had much to oppose, don't you think?"_ Said Ignis. 

Gladio would swear that it was double-meaning.

_“Of course it would have been a great impediment to the peace treaty and arranged marriage. Certainly, at this point I don’t know what to think about that possibility after everything that happened”_ said Ignis. 

_“Yes, you're right ... They were always together, but I never thought they were so close to each other. Did they got noticed about us?"_ Gladio mused out loud.

Ignis cleared his throat _"It seems that you used to made it quite clear"._

_ “Me? Nah. I've always been very careful with that. I knew you were concerned about being too obvious about it”. _

_ “Of course there was a noticeable difference when it was you who booked the rooms in the hotels and when I did it”. _

Gladio laughed at such obviousness. _"It didn't seem so obvious to me!."_

_"And why do you think they always asked you to sleep in hotels?”_ smiled Ignis. _"You always booked two separate rooms. Kingsize beds. What you were expecting them to think about it?"_

_"... It turns out they weren't as dumb as we thought"_ said Gladio, still laughing. 

_ "Of course not… That was us". _

The return home was enjoyable. Gladio and Ignis talked about Prompto and Noctis almost all the way, remembering tender moments, avoiding the conversation about their past as a couple. Gladio couldn't stop thinking about how passionate Ignis could be in intimacy. Behind that serious and sober attitude, hid a person who allowed himself to be guided by his passion and more basic instincts.

Upon arriving at Cautionum, Rhendel stopped the big yellow rusty van.

_"Y’all right? I haven't seen you in days,"_ he asked, leaning his arms on the window on the side where Ignis was sitting.

_ "Good afternoon, Rhendel. We've been to Cape Caem. An old friend has passed away." _

_ "Wow, so it hasn't been a pleasure trip. I'm sorry to hear that." _

_"Thank you."_ said Ignis. 

_"Surely you are happy to return home"_ continued Rhendel from the window. 

Ignis and Gladio nodded. 

_"Of course ... Take care … Nice to see you...and you too, Amicitia"._ Rhendel pointed at Gladio.

Gladio said goodbye to Rhendel with his hand driving off slowly. 

When he opened the house door, Noct rubbed down Ignis's legs, meowing loudly.

_ "It seems he missed you" _

_"He likes to be alone, but he also needs company,"_ he said as he bent down to pet the animal.

_"Of course, it lives up to the name,"_ Gladio said as he entered the house, carrying the luggage. _"Do you want your suitcase up to your room?"_

_ Ignis tensed "No. Thank you. I will do it myself." _

_"I don't mind doing it for you,"_ said Gladio.

_ "You're going to do too much work in this house to make you work even more." _

_ "Anyway ... Well, I'm going back to the hostel" _

_"In Lestallum?"_ Ignis asked.

_"I guess they will have rooms available. Isn't that popular nowadays"_ he said dialing the hotel number on his mobile.

_ "... And why don't you stay?" _

_"Here?_ _At your house? No thanks, I don't want to be a nuisance. If they don't have space I can always camp"_ Gladio replied.

_“Gladio, you are not a nuisance. Please stay. I will spend much of the day writing. I have commitments with publishers and now I'm a little late in my deadlines with what has happened. I won’t disturb you, and you won’t disturb me”_. Insisted Ignis. 

“I will stay just with the condition that if I bother you or you need space, you will let me know. I won’t be offended”. said Gladio

_"I know. I will, You have my word"._ said Ignis, bowing with a hand on his chest. 

_ "In that case, I'm going to unpack then." _

_"Perfect…”_ Said Ignis _“Oh, Gladio!. I may ask you a favor”_

_“Yes?”_ Gladio asked, turned over himself, facing Ignis at the bottom of the hall “Ask me anything”.

_ “Please, do not enter my room under no circumstances”. _

_“This house has no stairs for me. Don’t worry. I won’t”_ said Gladio turning the knob on the door of the guest room”.

_“Thank you”_ said Ignis. 

_ “My pleasure”. _

Gladio dropped the suitcase on the mattress. It didn't take him too long to sort out his luggage since he didn't take too many clothes with him. Also, a big part of the stuff he normally needed was in the van. He took out the dirty clothes and placed the clean one in a small chest of drawers.

Ignis's request didn't matter to him, but he wondered what was in his room that he hid with such eagerness. He knew him too well to know that he had something important in there... But he was not in the position to inquire too much about it.


	7. All your truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You leave me no choice, Ignis"

The promising words of Prompto’s farewell letter still roamed inside his head as he worked on the new general fuse box.    
  
__ “What was that lab? Could they really make Ignis sight back?”    
  
It’s been almost a week since they had returned from Cape Caem and Ignis had barely discussed the subject. He wakes up in the morning every day before dawn and sat at his desk in his office accompanied by a strong, boiling coffee and sometimes, if he was around, Noct on his lap. The only window in the room was always open no matter how the weather was. The rattling noise coming from the typewriter usually woke Gladio up, who remained in bed until the sun sneak through his window. Noct walked from room to room. Sometimes Gladio could feel him kneading on his feet at nighttime over the blanket, before he purred himself to sleep. 

  
The mystery of Ignis's room went into the background as the days progressed. Gladio had enough to solve with the entire old building installation. The default devices, wiring, repeaters and fuses, already obsolete and outdated, were not compatible with the new needs and had to be replaced by new ones. Gladio was shocked to see that they dated before The Darkest Years and the majority of the fuses they still worked. Ignis doesn't need so much electrical power himself, so the idea of repairing just the right and necessary went through his head, since everything pointed out that it was going to be a tedious and messy job, but it seemed very cruel and lazy to just do the basic work. Also, he wanted to check that annoying lift truck too as it felt it could be heard beyond que quarry.    
  


Shared mealtimes and breaks together allowed them to have relaxing and banal conversations. Ignis always cut the conversation when it took directions towards something about the past or potentially painful.

  
Gladio spent days watching at Ignis' movements around the apartment very closely. He could help himself smoothly, that’s for sure, but Gladio realised that Ignis had lost speed and neatness in his movements. That worried Gladio as that roughness didn’t sound like him.    
  
Knowing that Ignis had that opportunity to improve his life and he hadn't mentioned anything was killing him inside. Everything changed since he lost his sight.   
  


***

  
  
  
The thick, dark curtains of the train covered the intense sun. There were few hours of light left but the intensity of the light in Cartanica was much stronger than in Lucis and felt like it was midday. Ignis raised an enormous wall of ice around him since the accident in Altissia and Gladio couldn’t feel more guilty about it ... The last time he looked at his green eyes, raging shouting came out of his mouth on his direction. Ignis ignored them and turned around and did what he feel he had to.  
  
The cane that Gladio carved for him, rested on the bench at the outdated table of the cafeteria in the train heading to Tenebrae. The tense encounter that Gladio had in the train carriage with Noctis few hours ago, left Ignis without any pleasant words towards the bigger man remaining silent. Rejected holding hands with Gladio while talking every time he tried to reach them and take his gloves off to feel him closer. Things were not going well.  
  
His words were clear, sharp and cold: He didn’t wanted to continue with the relationship. He didn’t wanted the extra care that Gladio had to pour into him to interfere in his duty as the King's Shield. When they decided to start their hidden relationship time ago, they promise that they would help each other fulfill their real duty and it seemed that moment had arrived. At least, that's how Ignis believed it.  
  
  
_"You're talking in the heat of the moment. Everything has happened very quickly Ignis, give yourself time to assimilate it"_ said Gladio in a low voice, trying to calm himself.

_ "You should not refer to me as the one who has had the heated moment" _

_"I don’t know what you mean by that"_ Gladio's voice became as firm as Ignis'.

_"To the unnecessary_ scene _you've had with Noctis in the car"_ Ignis replied, still with his head down and his eyes closed behind his dark glasses.

_"Can we stop talking about that? Damn! Are you telling me that you want to break up with me because you've gone blind? Do you think that matters to me?"_ Asked Gladio, clenching his teeth.

_ "But it matters for your your task, Gladio" _

_"No, it doesn't interfere at all! Your blindness is not an extra burden, Ignis, but we all have to get used to it. What’s going on with you? Why are you pushing me away? Do you still love me?"_ dared to ask Gladio, in a trembling voice.   
  
Ignis's chest seemed to shake, but he remained stoic behind his wall of ice. He knew he couldn't show any sign of weakness. He wanted to keep him away from him, spiritual and physically. A simple grab of hands or a hug could melt his cold wall and turn it into boiling steam in a second.   
__  
_"It's... it is something rather difficult to confess after so long, Gladio"_ his voice remained distant and sharp as the edge of a blade.   
__  
_“Since when? I've been taking care of you and I've never reproached it because you're not a problem for me. How many times do I have to tell you?”_ Gladio talk between teeth. His words tasted like anger and denial.    
  
It was me who picked you up half dead from Altissian grounds, hoping that you will hug me again. I fed you, I bathed you, I... I did everything for you! Fuck Ignis, even made you a cane so you could feel that I support you in this too even when I’m not next to you! So you can feel you still can rely on me!”. As he spoke, Gladio rose slowly from his seat bringing his hostile face closer to Ignis, who remained impassive perceiving all the rage of Gladio's words. The waiter sneaked over the two men expecting, perhaps, a fight. Cautious, he didn’t move from the fragile protection that bar provided him.   
  
_"I plan to escort Noctis until the end. I swear an oath to him and I'm going to fulfill it no matter what happens to me”_. Ignis seemed unmoved by Gladio's trembling voice.    
  
_"And that's why you don't love me?"_ Insisted Gladio.   
  
_“If I die…”_ muttered Ignis.    
__  
“And if we all die, Ignis? We all knew there was a chance that everything went wrong and we have fallen flat on our face into it. We just have to get up and stay together…”   
  
In saying this, Gladio took Ignis by the hand. Ignis released his hand of the black-haired man firm grip once again. Gladio contained his impulse of hitting the table and bit his lip instead, feeling his tears roll down his cheeks.   
  
He couldn’t look at Igni’s face and rose his face.He noticed a blond-haired figure approaching the cafeteria through the narrow door window. He stormed out the cafeteria, causing the conversation to end, just like his relationship with Ignis. Gladio stepped out quickly and heavily from the car, dodging Prompto's gaze, pushing him with his shoulder when he left.   
  
The blond, seeing Gladio’s violent reaction, ran to Ignis's table and sat next to him. He took Ignis between his arms when the blind man began to cry inconsolably in complete silence.

...But that was not the last time Ignis cried...   
  


  
***

  
  


Day passed as normal. The spicy aroma spread throughout the building. Gladio checked his watch. It was almost time for dinner. As he went up the stairs he realized that he couldn’t hear the typewriter. Ignis was definitely making dinner.  
  
Noct greeted him when he opened the heavy metallic door of the apartment. The white-haired man bent down to stroke him. The animal rolled on its back and showed its tummy, although he used to get grumpy if cuddles lasted too long.  
  
_“I can make dinner next time. You could take a break from it now I’m here”_ said Gladio as he entered the kitchen, accompanied by Noct, who followed the smell of food.  
  
_“Would you take a break of doing something you love?”_ said Ignis, turning his face in the same direction that Gladio's voice came from. He felt him close to him. _“It won't smell more no matter how much you put your head over the pot”._ __  
  
With a half smile, Gladio looked at Ignis's face. He still reminded his bad habit.   
  
Gladio stared at him while he kept cooking without knowing how much, mesmerized by his features when a grayish spot on the cheekbone broke his sweet dullness. The spot matched his dark circles. Seemed that he had a long day too.  
  
_“You’ve stained youself”_ said Gladio, still with his eyes fixed on his face.  
  
_“Where? I have not felt anything”_ Ignis asked surprised, feeling his apron with a hand searching for a wet spot in the chest area.  
  
Gladio noticed Ignis's nails and fingertips were stained in the same tone while he run his fingers through his apron. "What you've been doing?"  
  
_“I've been writing. I spent most of the day at my desk. Then we had lunch and our coffee talk and I went back to work until now”_ explained Ignis.

_"Do you mind if I go and have a quick check for you?"_ Gladio asked.

_"What's going on?"_ Ignis asked, worried.

_"You got black on you"_ Gladio licked a thumb and passed it over Ignis’ cheekbone, taking his face with his other hand, trying to clean it “The tip of your fingers are also dirty”.  
  
_“It must be when I changed the ink of the typewriter”_ said Ignis, trying to feel his fingers _“I’ve washed my hands several times”_.  
_  
__"Let me see if your desk is fine,"_ said Gladio, on his way to the room.

_ "I don't need you to take care of me, Gladio" _

_ "And I don't mind doing it" _

Gladio heard no other answer than Ignis opening the water tap for washing his hands once more and kept cooking. He had never been in that room before. Thinking that, as it was Ignis’ workspace, he imagined it would be a pleasant, harmonically organized room full with shelves overflowing with books. But he found the opposite: The space was small and gray and, except for the window, there was no other source of light. There were shelves, he had been right about it, but they were empty. The table, right in front of the window, was full of different shades of ink stains, some very old, others more recent. The typewriter crowned the wooden table, accompanied by piles of papers, some were written, others blank. Gladio paid special attention to the typewriter. It seemed to be handmade since the finish was not too refined. The keys were in braille so Ignis could feel them, even that he knew the position of each letter and punctuation sign. It also used ink to print the words on top of the braille bumps directly on paper, making the text readable for him and his editor. A fine engineering work that impressed Gladio. He took one of the written pages and without paying attention to the text, he ran his fingers slowly, up and down the bumps, asking himself how difficult it would be to have to learn to read again without using his eyes.   
  
_“Another skill that Ignis had to learn by force, apart from living in darkness”_ sighted.

Taking another look at the empty shelves, Gladio wondered where Ignis was keeping his books, since there was not a single copy of any kind in the entire apartment. Neither of the ones he had written, nor of another author.   
__  
_"Maybe he keeps them in his bedroom?"_ he asked himself.   
  
Back in the kitchen, Ignis was serving dinner, weighing the dishes with one hand to feel if there was enough food in each.

_"Your desk. It's disgusting."_ Gladio laughed.

_"Pardon?"_ asked Ignis, shocked at Gladio’s frankness.

_ "It's full of ink stains everywhere". _

_"It doesn't surprise me,"_ Ignis said, sighing in exasperation. _"No matter how much I clean it, there will always be stains. I have an ink cleaner, but it should be used with fresh ink."_  
  
__“I can try to sand it a bit and varnish it. That will help keep it longer. By the way, your typewriter is fucking cool”.  
  
“Another piece of Cid’s wonders!” Ignis said smiling “It has made my life easier, except for the ink inconvenience”.  
  
_“Do you miss him?”_ asked Gladio.   
  
_“...Everyday”_ sighted Ignis _“He was great company but I can understand now why he clashed so much with king Regis, but he taught me many things after losing my sight that I will always feel indebted to him”._

  
Ignis' voice became trembling, so Gladio took the dishes and Ignis followed him to the dining room.

"Thank you very much for the food, looks delicious" said Gladio when he sat in the chair after serving the dishes on the table. 

_"I hope you like it,"_ Ignis replied grimly.

He kept his face serious and remained silent for big part of the dinner, but Gladio couldn’t stand that silence, as it happened in the train years ago. 

_"You should have surgery"_ said Gladio, bluntly.

_"Pardon?"_ Ignis replied, clearly upset, leaving the cutlery next to the plate.

_ "You should have that operation on your missing eye. The one that Prompto mentioned on his letter. Maybe your vision won't be perfect, but you'll be able to see". _

_"I believe it's something that doesn't concern you, Gladio"_ said Ignis sharply.  
__  
  
“Why not?”

_“After almost 20 years are you going to pretend that worry about my eyesight?”_ It wasn't normal for Ignis to be so direct.

_“...I've never stopped worrying about you”_ confessed Gladio.   
  
A gesture of disbelief appeared on Ignis' face after hearing Gladio’s words.   
_  
“If you were so worried, why did you never contact me? Ignis asked defensively”. _

Gladio remained silent, confused, not knowing whether to lie or confess the truth, but Ignis didn’t allow him to defend himself. _“Look, Gladio, I'm glad you're here, but I don't want you to take me for a fool. You cannot appear in my life after such a long time and pretend that something as serious as operating my eye matters to you so much”._

_"It does matter. Very much. You broke up in the past with me because you were obsessed that you were a burden, that you would die or get in the way of Noctis and look now. Look who we are alive! Fuck, Ignis! It was you who didn't want to know anything more about me, outside of our duty as shield and hand of the king! I still remember your words as if it were yesterday!”_ Gladio replied, gradually raising his tone, becoming more and more violent.

_"... And what about her, then?"_ Ignis wasn’t happy reproaching anything about Dhalia and he showed in his face, but Gladio's explanation made no sense to him.

_ "I met Dhalia years later. I was unable to be with anyone else after being with you. With her, all started...well… it was nothing serious..." _

_ "But you got married". _

_"Yes, dammit! I did! I did marry her because I knocked her up!_ _So we had a fucking shotgun wedding. A real one… I could feel his dad’s revolver pointing at my temple. Very romantic as you can see!"_ shouted Gladio. _“And two months after, Dryas was born.”_ __  
  
Ignis listened to Gladio carefully.    
  
__ “I joined as a hunter shortly again after Cor and I decided to end the royal guard. We notified the remaining Kingsglaive that they no longer had any commitment to fulfill with Luciis. But you know what? Some motherfuckers were looking for my head because some fucking bastard put a booty on me. A loot that didn't exist, for a treasure that, in theory, I was the guardian for, and didn't exist either. All that bullshit went for years and just made my relationship with Dhalia even worse. She spent our marriage living with her parents in Galahd. We divorced shortly after birth Linaria” Gladio explained, clearly ashamed at such a surreal situation in which he ended his life at that time.

__  
_"... How old are they now?"_ asked Ignis, trying to ignore the explanation about the last remains of the royal guard. That guard, in which he had believed so much.   
  


_ "Dryas is now 10 and Linaria's 7". _

Gladio sighed _"Do you think I had the balls to have a relationship with you again after you broke up with me in Cartanica? After Noctis was absorbed by the Crystal? After he died?... You also didn't took his position. But, in that case, I thought you wouldn't want me as a shield either"._

_ "Lucis did not deserved a blind King" _

Gladio got up from the table and approached Ignis slowly as he spoke, circling the table "Lucis needed you to raise it from its ashes. Bring it back to life again and make it a place worth living in… not like this damn wasteland we live in, full of thieves and murderers". Gladio knelt in front of Ignis and took his hand, slowly. "You would have had Prompto, Cor, the rest of the Kingsglaives… and of course, me."

_ "... I was not able to carry with such responsibility at the time" _

_"That’s why the King's shield is for. The hand of the king holds the shield. The shield protects the hand until it breaks"._ said Gladio, lowering his voice. 

_“...So you read it”_ Ignis was surprised to see that Gladio recited part of his book The Amicitia Anthology.  
  
  
__“Of course I did. Well, I’m on it. I can feel in those pages that you had faith on all of us… Although you decided not to be our king, you honor us all with your words. You keep the spirit and memory alive and that will remain forever".  
  
The corners of Ignis's lips curved down slightly. His face saddened but his cheeks would remain dry.  
__  
_“I think it's time for you to do something selfish. You're not alone. Let me go with you.”_ Gladio pleaded, caressing Ignis’ hands softly.   
__  
_“I already did something selfish, and stupid by not taking Lucis' crown”_ Ignis replied in a trembling voice.  
  
_“But you carry its burden. You gave your sight for it. You were marked forever and you show it in your face everyday ... And what else you gave that you haven't told me yet?…”_ said Gladio squeezing Ignis hands.   
  
Ignis' breath was breaking and his hands started shaking.  
__  
_“...I’m sorry, that was way too much”._ Gladio apologized, hugging Ignis firmly. He could feel the blind man breaking inside of him between his arms. Gladio thronged him harder and harder, trying to keep his inner pieces together.  
  
Ignis rested her cheek on Gladio's shoulder. He wanted to cry. He needed to blame himself for the decline of the non-existent kingdom, the pain of the death of his two friends and the unease of having rejected Gladio's unconditional love. Not being able to release tears made him feel empty, unable to feel anything for anyone again. Insignificant.  
__  
_"What does it matter if I die in the operating room? I'm already dead inside. I only carry the guilt and sorrow from the past”._ Ignis whispered in Gladio's ear.  
  
Gladio was scared to hear such hard words coming from Ignis. From him, who always had nice works for everyone and a positive vision of life, letting himself be dragged by sadness in that way wasn’t himself. Rejecting himself in that way.  
  
Still on his knees, Gladio took Ignis by the shoulders and looked him straight in the face, watching each one of his expressions.  
__  
_“You are consuming inside. Don't allow yourself to keep on in this cruel path, Ignis. You do not deserve it”_ said Gladio in a firm voice.  
  
_" ... Do you want me to go with you to the lab?"_ Gladio asked, taking Ignis by the chin.

Ignis shook his head.

_"Ignis, come on, don't be so stubborn"_ said Gladio, bringing his face closer to Ignis's.

Ignis tried to turn his face, but Gladio took him from the side of his face.

_"If pleading is not enough, I will have to convince you"_. Gladio continued, lowering his voice, turning it into a deep whisper

Ignis bit her lower lip.

_"Don't do that, Ignis. Do you still remember what happens when you do that?"_ Gladio asked. Ignis could feel Gladio's words on his lips.

Ignis grimaced with the corner of his mouth. Unsure if Gladio was thinking the same. 

_"... Stop ... doing that or I won't be able to resist it"_ Gladio kept purring from his throat.

Ignis licked his lips, feeling Gladio's breath almost on his tongue.

_ "Ignis, I'm going to have to take it as an invitation." _

Ignis smiled sideways.

_ "You leave me no choice, Ignis" _

He felt the tingle of his hissing name over his lips, just before the explosion of heat that were Gladio's filled lips taking his. They felt and tasted as always, but with a hit of spice from diner. An old feeling of comfort filled up his empty body, making him feel like returning home after a long, exhausted trip. He couldn't help circling Gladio's neck with his hands as he felt his big, rough hands running up down his arms and shoulders. The bony fingers of the blind man walked along Gladio's strong shoulders, feeling the strands of loose hair that Gladio’s braid couldn’t catch.

  
Gladio sighed deeply, feeling under his hands the fine and delicate features of Ignis’ face and neck, holding back from going over the buttons on Ignis's shirt and and lowering his mouth to his neck when the blind undid his braid and buried his fingers in the back of his neck.   
  
Gladio said goodbye to Ignis' lips licking them gently with the tip of his tongue, opening his eyes slowly, missing his green gaze back at him.   
  


It was a tender and passionate kiss.   
  


Just enough to make him feel alive again.   


  
Just enough to make him change his mind.  
  
  



	8. Bookmark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Ignis, I'm not made of stone" he managed to say hoarsely.  
> "I'll have to become lava, then".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter dedicated to Davnere. I hope this brings you some happiness. Big hug girl!

__  
  
  
Gladio entered home carrying his toolbox and noticed the vaporous mist dissipating in the air. It was coming from the bathroom a the soft smell of vetiver was invading the corridor. No sign of dinner on the making, as it was usual at that time. Unusually, the kitchen was silent but soft jazz music was coming down from Ignis's bedroom. He knew he was not allowed to go upstairs, but no one had said anything about not sticking his ear to the door.

_ "... Is he humming?" _

The noise of the leather soles of Ignis' shoes coming down the stairs warned Gladio with sufficient time to pull his ear away from the door.

Ignis wore a ragged leather vest. It was hard to tell if it was just used or it was designed for having that appearance, as seemed covered in dust and scratches in some parts. A white long-sleeved shirt underneath it, adorned with those old silver set of Lucis cufflinks enameled in dark-gray-nearly-black and blue shades. His thin trousers matched his dark leather boots and marked the blind man's thighs when walking getting Gladio’s gaze on them while he wandered down the hall. 

_ "I had no idea we were going out tonight,"  _ Gladio joked, trying to break the tension that grew between them for days due that sudden kiss that happened between them after that delicate conversation.

_ "I'm sorry to inform you that your name is not on the guest list," _ Ignis replied with an awkward half-smile as he adjusted the sleeves of his shirt.

_ "Sad. I’ll store my suit back to the wardrobe, then… Where are you going?"  _ Gladio asked, curious as he looked the blind man up and down while he followed him down the hall.

Ignis just continued smiling, lowering his face. Gladio knew that was his answer.

_ "Ok, ok, I understand... Do you need a ride?"  _ Gladio wasn’t happy with the idea of Ignis going out on what it looked like a date with someone, and Ignis could tell it for how Gladio's voice sounded. 

_ "No, thanks. He’s coming to collect me”  _ Ignis replied, feeling his hair carefully.

_ “...He” mocked Gladio, silently. _

_ "Well, if you try to impress someone, you can already tick that +1 box on your list" _

Ignis snorted, hiding a laugh at Gladio's comment " _ Thank you, you're very kind. I will be late. I apologize in advance regarding the noise of the forklift." _

_ "It's already fixed. It’ll be silent".  _ Gladio replied reluctantly, still following the other man as he searched for his dark glasses in the dining room.

_ "Thank you. Remember to add it to the bill, please” _ Ignis said from the bottom of the hall, opening the door.  _ “Have a good night ”. _

_ "Yes ... Same for you …” _

A horn sounded from the street. Gladio approached the window and glanced at the big car, sneaking between the curtains. A fine young man with blond hair, pale skin and white suit was waiting next to a metallic black and just waxed limousine. He approached Ignis, took him by the arm with a gracious movement and guided him to the back of the vehicle. Gladio could see how the man in white sat next to Ignis. It wasn’t a pleasant sight for him and a feeling of outburst jealousy invaded his chest.

_ "But how the hell that fucking limo made it go through here?"  _ He asked himself walking away from the window while he heard the long vehicle's engine drive away.

_ "... Fuck ... The only good thing about all this is that the damn forklift no longer makes noise." _

He decided to clean himself up after a long day working outdoors on the forklift. The long hours under the sun had ravaged his skin and he felt hotter patches on his arms and shoulders that not even cold water from the long shower relieved.

He wiped the misty mirror and watched his body and face carefully as he left the shower and tuck a towel on his hips.

_ "Of course that brat looks much better than me... I'm sure he's more refined more cultured than this old man..." _ He said to himself as he touched the skin that began to gradually dislodge due to aging and for the overexertion of the last 20 hard years. _"Although I never thought that would be a priority for him ... He may have changed his taste after so many years..."._

While stroking his untidy beard he remembered about the old days in high school.

****

The fame of brute and womanizer couldn’t be further from reality and it was a yoke that Gladio had to saddle. Maintaining the appearances was way easier than showing his true self. 

His taste for reading began with the walks he had in the library of the high school and the Citadel, looking for that thin boy hidden behind his glasses, who was always surrounded by too many textbooks. Sometimes, he could spend hours waiting for him and he kept entertained reading anything that fell into his hands, frequently in the History section, as it was the closest to the desks.

Sometimes he surprised himself how fast he could read. He enjoyed reading so much that it made him escape from the world, discovering that shy boy in glasses already set up on his place again, among huge books. He always sat at the same table and the same chair if it was feasible.

Observing that the boy repeated the same pattern, Gladio decided to take the first step and one day left a note in the chair the boy in glasses used to sit. He waited behind the bookshelves as always until he appeared again in his speedy and intense way of walking.

With the ivory envelope on his hand, the boy looked around while Gladio hid behind the wooden shelves, crossing his fingers and trying to ignore the blush of his cheeks.

The boy in glasses opened the envelope and read the note. He continued to look around, skeptical, glimpsing through the halls to return the letter to its owner, as he couldn't believe it was addressed to him.

Gladio didn't know his name. The only he knew was that he was in one of the most advanced classes of his year and he spent his spare time with the school committee. They had a good reputation. They all had good manners and high qualifications... The opposite of Gladio, who just passed the exams with C year after year.

_ “I’ll be waiting for you today in the rose gardens at the end of classes” _

So he was.

And there was too the boy with the glasses still with the envelope between his hands

And he saw Gladio approach him.

_ "... Hi" Gladio took the second step too. Direct contact. _

_ "Hello. This must be yours. I'd be dissap..." _ said the boy with the glasses.

_ "Well, in fact, that one is yours...It’s… for you" Interrupted Gladio. _

The boy turned his face to a rather worried expression “What do you mean? It’s...for me? From whom?”.

_ "From... me" _  
  


Years later Ignis explained to Gladio why he ran away that day and kept running away from him every time they met each other in the high school and the Citadel.

He mistakenly thought that this very deep and new feeling he had for Gladio was fear, but everything was cleared up the day Gladio stole the first kiss behind those same tall and tuff shelves.

  
  
  


******

  
  
The apartment was too quiet and empty without Ignis. He missed the rumble in the kitchen, the constant smell of coffee and the timbre of his voice. Even the rattling of the typewriter. Any indication that he was there was enough for making him feel better. Sitting on the sofa, Noct curled up next to Gladio's thigh as he stared out the window involuntarily, hoping that he'll see Ignis coming back. 

_ "Isn't fancy to have dinner alone ... Will you join me?" _ He asked softly to Noct while stroking his back.

The cat sighed, squinting slowly, falling asleep. He wasn't in the mood to eat.

Gladio got up from the sofa and headed to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and reheated the leftovers from the previous dinner and filled Noct's bowl. He returned to the dining room to meet Noct asleep this time in his bed above what looked like an old cloth. Gladio left his dinner on the table and crouched in front of the animal bed. Without disturbing him too much, he observed part of the fabric where the cat was lying. He found buttons and an embroidered patch on the fabric. A sad and melancholic aura invaded his heart.

_ "You miss the blondie too, huh?"  _ Gladio said as he stood up.

Gladio finished his dinner quickly as there was nothing to enjoy without Ignis' company. Noct kept purring over Prompto's shirt without any intention of moving from it. It was a very soothing vision.

It was too early to go to bed and Gladio felt nervous, anxious. Fe felt he was missing something important. He kept asking himself constantly what Ignis was doing at the time, who was that man in the white suit... Is he was gonna come back later? Or maybe at dawn?...

_ "Why has this guy appeared so suddenly?" _

He took his jacket and went out for a night walk. It was too painful to keep thinking about it and also he had no excuse for not doing it, as the forklift would not disturb the surrounding buildings with that unpleasant metallic screech.

  
  
  


The night was serene, clear and warm. Gladio thought about sleeping in the open but he abandoned the thought when it came to his mind that the other man could accompany Ignis to the apartment with the excuse of helping him take the forklift. And maybe staying overnight. 

In his bed.

Between his legs.

The streets of Cautionum were wide and silent. Some said it was a housing state wannabe, others a tribe, and others a living grave of human spoil. People lived in old buildings, huts and caravans. They had begun to build house modules little by little since the locals did not trust to hire specialists and preferred to rely on the other neighbors. Street vendors and wholesalers supplied the inhabitants with the necessary. They used to live from smuggling mining equipment, weapons and jobs that can get your hands too messy. It was said that many of the people living there still had a bounty over their heads. Maybe that's why Gladio felt welcome among all that harmless social scum. Now, they just wanted to rebuild their lives from scratch, outside the canons imposed after the weak governments that were created after the Darkest Years that no one trusted.   
  


_ "What are you doing so lonely and at this time around here? Have you been kicked out?" _

The familiar voice and the smell of cigar betrayed Rhendel, who approached Gladio on his right side from behind.

_ “I’m just having a walk...” _

_ “Where’s Ignis? Is he alright?” _

_ “Yeah… He’s out tonight” _

_ “Right… So, are you up for a drink then?” _

Unexpected change of plans for Gladio but he was fine with that new one  _ “Sure, why not.” _

They shared more than a superficial talk about Cautionum. Rhendel confessed that the best years of his life were spent in Lucis' royal guard, although he was very short-lived because he was transferred to Galahd had time to meet Clarus. Rhendel's questions were becoming more personal and delicate with each sip of that dubious origin drink.

_ "By the way, I haven't seen your friend the blond one in a while" . _

That comment felt like a punch in Gladio's stomach. _"He passed away ... not long ago."_

"Rhendel sighed. Nodding clearly upset. _" Sad to hear... I'm sorry. He was a good boy. We talked a lot when he was living here"._

Gladio raised his face and fixed his eyes on Rhendel, who maintained a thoughtful expression.

_ "... I recall Prompto first arrived and settled in one of the huts. Alone. He asked for permission several times to bring a comrade to live here with him, but we didn't trust him because he was the now guy. After earning our trust, Ignis came to live with him. We were very shocked to see a blind man here".  _ Rhendel paused to finish his drink and ask for another round.

_ "... They were moved into the office block after the attack. You know, the one with the forklift." _

_"Which attack?"_ Gladio asked sharply.

_ "A bloody pack of huge Trents stormed into houses and huts at nighttime. We didn’t allow weapons in here so, some died. Your friends were very lucky ..." _

_"No one told me..."_ said Gladio, trying to imagine the horror that Rhendel was describing him.

_"Maybe the blond wanted to save his ego. The fucking Trent tore off his leg and left it lying in the middle of the street. We found him half dead, well, both of them…”_ continued Rhendel. 

_“And what about Ignis?”_ interrupted Gladio, finishing his drink. 

_“He avoided a big part of the attack, but one Trent almost ripped his head off"_ Rhendel took a long drink at that bad looking liquor _"If it wasn't for Maybelline ..."_ He showed his rough rifle hidden under his rugged coat. It looked handcrafted, rusty and old. 

_"... Maybelline ..."_ Gladio sighed, covering his face with one hand.

_ "... I'm shit Shield ..." _

_"Hey ... But you're back, don't you?"_ Rhendel elbowed Gladio's arm as a friendly gesture.

Gladio sighed containing the tears that accumulated in his eyes.

_ "... He looks happier ..." _

_ "Who?" _

_"Ignis ... He's happier since you're here"_ Rhendel got up from the stool and said goodbye to Gladio with a hand gesture. _"I must go back to the nightwatch. Nice talking to ya"._

The white-haired man glanced at the wall clock behind the bar with difficulty as the hands of the clock were getting blurry. It was time to go home.

He staggered back home imperceptibly. It was not hard for him to walk, but he was drunk enough to give his head a couple of spins. In one of those, he tripped over something soft on the floor and Gladio turned to see what it was. The street lights didn't illuminate adequately to take a look and he felt the ground in search of that thing with his hand. He sensed a ball of hair. It fitted perfectly in his hand, grabbed it by the skin behind its head and lifted it off the ground, placing it in front of his face to have a more meticulous inspection at it. Pretty small eyes with an indigo glow looked terrified at his eyes. The mysterious thing meowed frightened.

_ "Sorry, little fella... I didn't notice you ..." _

He cradled the kitten in one hand and approached the light that one of the caravan's porch projected. The kitten snuggled in Gladio's hand hiding the nose in his palm. Gladio grabbed him with both hands carefully to see his face better. Orange tabby and spiky fluffy fur covered his skin. His little eyes looked at him shyly.

_ "... Fuck sake ... You remind me too much of someone to leave you on the street ... Moreover, I think Noct needs company." _

Gladio consoled the kitty and placed it on his shoulder considering that would be possible that he'll require his hands if he fell from drunkenness and lack of light.

  
  


It was past midnight and no sign of Ignis. The house was still silent and Noct was in the same place as when Gladio left. He crouched down with the tabby kitten in his hands. Noct sniffed it and showed interest in the new resident. Gladio left him near the bed and the little one went straight to curl up next to Noct.

_ “Yeah… I think I’ll go to bed too…” _

Wearing his lounge loose grey trousers, he got into bed with the window open so he could hear outside if case Ignis were coming back last night. 

Luckily for him, a few minutes after, he heard a powerful car engine coming from the street. He looked out the window to confirm it was the limo. When he saw the man in white getting out of the vehicle, Gladio stormed downstairs to receive Ignis.

_"I hope you bring him to me in one piece"_ Gladio bellowed hostile, crossing his arms over his bare chest with a menacing glance.

The man in the white suit looked at Gladio superficially with the corner of his eye and turned his attention to Ignis, who was leaving the vehicle helped by the young man's hand.

_"It has been a pleasure doing business with you Mr. Reditus. I hope you will contact us again in the future"_ said the blond man in the white suit with a serious and firm voice.

_"Thank you very much for everything, Mr. Shinra. I hope you have a safe return home"_ said Ignis haltingly, shaking hands at farewell with the younger man, that returned to the car without looking back. 

Gladio approached to greet Ignis, but he collapsed on his arms.

_"... You smell like alcohol"_ said Gladio, surprised. 

_"And you too"_ Ignis replied with a half-smile.

_"... Ok, let's take it easy and go up to the apartment"_ said Gladio, enclosing Ignis with one arm

_"I'm fine with that"_ Ignis replied after hugging back Gladio as they advanced to the forklift.

_"...All good?"_ asked the white-haired man.

_"Better than good"_ Ignis replied without giving more information, still hanging from Gladio’s shoulders.

After a few seconds, Ignis voice broke the silence _"...No"_

_"...No...what?"_ asked Gladio, confused, switching on the forklift. 

_"To your question"_ replied Ignis, sharply.

“...So what’s the question?” scoffed Gladio.

_ “I haven’t...”  _ The forklift reached the upper level, shaking the two men and interrupting the conversation.

_"I brought someone with me tonight,"_ Gladio said walking towards the main door.

_ "It is extremely discourteous to persuade someone to my apartment without asking me first, Gladio". _

_"Sit here and wait"_ Gladio guided Ignis to the sofa. He listened very carefully to Gladio's movements with a bothersome appearance on his face.

_ "Cup your hands". _

Ignis sighed _"... I won't fall on that dirty trick again, Gladio. We're not teenagers anymore"._

_"... Do the damn favor of cupping your hands, please. He is taking out his claws again"_ Gladio stammered.

After a few slight seconds, Ignis felt a tiny ball of warm, soft hair between his hands.

He held the kitten with one hand and stroked it with the other while the animal meowed irritated at being woken up.

_"... A kitten?"_ Ignis asked, surprised. 

_ "Yup" _

_ "You have brought a kitten!" _

_ "I picked him up from the street. I tripped on him when I came back from the tavern". _

_"Drinking alone is for losers and loners ..."_ Ignis replied.

_ " That describes me very well but no, I've been with Rhendel". _

_"Oh, I see ..."_ Ignis replied while stroking the kitten delicately. _"Will you describe it to me?"_

_ "Well, he has dark skin with braids and wears that overall blue and that awful raincoat...". _

Ignis laughed _"Not Rhendal, the kitten!"._

_ "Shit. Sorry. He's an orange tabby. Indigo eyes. Spiky hair ..." _

_"... Well, it seems we're all together again, right?"_ Ignis sighed deeply.

_"... We can't call him Prompto..."_ said Gladio.

_"No... But Pompom is pretty cute. Sure it suits him..."_ Ignis proposed stroking the little cat with his fingers.

It would be because of drunkenness or how strange the situation was but it seemed to both of them a good idea. Gladio left Pompom back in the blanket with Noct and the two men headed to the kitchen for coffee hoping that'll help them to have a better hungover the next morning. 

The noise of the coffee maker stopped. Gladio poured both cups of coffee and offered one to Ignis, who was sitting on a stool in the kitchen. Gladio was standing, leaning on the worktop, facing the blind man.

_"... Are you going to say now what question I was going to ask you before?"_ Gladio asked firmly. 

_ "...I haven't slept with him". _

_"... Yeah, I can tell... You look pretty tired"_ Gladio said ironically, trying to get more slice of Ignis's confession.

_"I mean, I haven't had sex with him. He's just my editor"_ Ignis explained _"He's much younger than me but he's smart and has a good eye for new projects"_ Did a pause to sip coffee _"But I had to turn down his new offer and it required to do it formally"._

Gladio raised an eyebrow _"Were you not happy with it for any reason?" Kept asking._

_ "... I've decided to take a break from writing". _

_ "...I wasn't expecting that...". _

_ "... I'm considering the idea of getting that eye surgery, Gladio. I cannot start a new project and leave it hanging". _

Gladio spat the coffee _"Are you going to have the surgery? That's great news!"._

_ "... Yes. Well, I don't know yet. But I think it'll worth to talk to the lab and ..." _

_"I'll be with you ... All the time"_ interrupted Gladio. 

_ "Gladio ... I am in no need ...". _

_ "I'm free. I'm done with the building installation. I can stay as long as you want ... Or if you prefer me to leave ... You just have to say it". _

_"... No ... no ... That's not what I meant" I_ gnis lowered his face.

_"Do you want me to stay?"_ Gladio asked, gently approaching the blind man. He placed one knee on the ground in front of Ignis. Again.

_"Yes, please"_ Ignis whispered, begging in a low voice, feeling Gladio's hands on his thighs. 

Gladio took the coffee cup from his hands and place it back to the worktop _"Command me anything you want, and I will do my best"_ said Gladio, getting closer to Ignis.

_"... About that comment about sleeping alone tonight ..."_ Ignis proposed, curling his arms behind Gladio's neck and bare shoulders _"... It is not something I desire"_ he continued purring in Gladio's neck.

"And what can I do to change that? Do you want me to call the guy in the white suit?" Teased Gladio, strolling the tip of his nose along the side of Ignis's neck, feeling the fainting notes of his perfume.

Ignis shook his head slowly as he strolled his hands down the bare torso of the white-haired man.

_“Do you want me to sleep with you tonight?”_ Gladio dared to ask.

Ignis nodded, softly. 

_"Are you aware that I won't be able to take my hands off you?"_ purred Gladio getting closer at Ignis' lips.

In response, Gladio received a passionate and fervent kiss from the blind man. He curled his fingers in this long and silky hair, pulling it back slowly, making Gladio throw his head back, breathing through his mouth while Ignis worked quickly and fiercely around his neck.

_"Ignis, I'm not made of stone"_ he managed to say hoarsely.

_ "I'll have to become lava, then". _

Ignis' humid tongue moved languidly from the base of Gladio's neck to his lips, which were waiting for him open and receptive. Ignis snatched Gladio's plump lower lip with his teeth and pulled it, biting it. Letting it go little by little, making the white-haired man hiss as he grabbed the blind with his arms. Ignis got up from the stool, getting rid of Gladio's grip, but Gladio, in a quick, movement, grabbed Ignis' waist and caught him between his pelvis and the kitchen worktop with a quick twist, pressing his hard crotch against the blind man's thigh.

Gladio's hands ran through Ignis's body, thirsty and desperate. He grabbed the thin man firmly by the buttocks and sat him on the worktop.

The leather vest fell to the floor, leaving freeway for Gladio to gently unbutton Ignis' shirt, button by button, following the opening of the fabric that showed with pale flesh with his mouth. He put his hands under the soft cloth to feel the shriveled skin of the blind man's chest, noticing how his nipples were bristling under the palms of his hands with each stroke.

Once the shirt was undone, Gladio grabbed the fabric to untuck it out of his trousers but noticed something that stopped him.

_"... Are you still wearing those garter bands"_ asked Gladio, awaiting a positive answer. 

_ "I don't know any other method to retain the shirt in place". _

_"I know another way for it to stay where it should. Taking it off"._ Gladio slipped his fingers under the waistband of Ignis' trousers beside the sides of Ignis's abdomen and brushed his fingers to the center. Gladio gasped with pleasure when he felt Ignis'gland trapped between his underbelly and the belt, making the blind man groan with pleasure when Gladios hands started stroking the delicate tip.

Ignis stuck his nails in Gladio's warm back to the feeling of being released slowly from the prison of his trousers. 

With his tongue strolling through Ignis's navel, Gladio pulled gently on Ignis's boxer elastic. He followed the fine line of hair that went down to his pubis, but on the way down, he felt the rabid and overflowing erection of the blind man. Without reservation, he took Ignis' glans between his lips and swept the sweet drops that crowned his tip slowly with his tongue. 

Gladio slowly trapped Ignis' penis into his mouth, moving his head gently, letting his cock in and out of his mouth and throat, making both men moan of satisfaction. 

Ignis's breathing was getting deeper and deeper every time his cock penetrated Gladio's throat. The blind man started coughing louder and harder, nearly retching, making Gladio stop suddenly. 

The white-haired man looked up, Ignis covered his mouth with one hand.

_ "Apologies. I'm not feeling very well ...". _

Gladio stood up and caressed Ignis' face _"What's the matter, my King?"._

Ignis sighed _"... I drank too much and I'm a little indisposed"._

Gladio put his hands on Ignis's thighs _"We better rest tonight ... We can continue another day. We can just take it from here"._

_"... Like a bookmark"_ said Ignis, smiling back at Gladio. 

  
  


As they promised, none of them spent the night alone. Ignis and Gladio shared the narrow bed of the guest room. They quickly fell asleep in each other's arms. In the middle of the night, the two cats joined them, curling on the duvet.

That night, happy memories from the old days wandered through the dreams of the two men.

And maybe in the kittens'.

  
  
  



	9. Echoes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little fluffly chapter. I've struggled specially with this one with grammar. I check it twice, so I apologise if I missed anything.
> 
> I promise next one will be hotter
> 
> Thank you Hüree for letting me your Saga. I love they.

The intense smell of coffee woke Ignis up, who stretched broadly through the unusual feeling of the firm mattress. The touching of the sheets made him move back into reality. They were the sheets of the guest room as they feel relatively new. He arched his back and when he relaxed his muscles, a sharp headache invaded his frontal lobe, pricking his temples virulently. Trying to get up, his cheek ran into Gladio's warm skin, which just sat on the edge of the bed.

_ "Good Morning!". _

_ "Good morning, have you made coffee to cope better with this headache?". _

_ "No, just for making you happy. Have you heard me in the kitchen?". _

_"No, but I feel the smell of Ebony",_ said Ignis leaning against the headboard of the bed.

_"And the smell of toast and ibuprofen too?",_ asked Gladio with a smirk. 

_"I didn't know that ibuprofen smelled like Banora White jam",_ Ignis joked as he puffed the pillow on his back before leaning straight over it.

_"Not bad for being so early and extremely hungover",_ Gladio said smiling, offering the hot cup to Ignis. He held the cup between his hands enjoying the warmth that the ceramic gave off and felt Gladio putting his breakfast plate on his lap.

_"Thank you. You're incredibly sweet",_ he said, sipping his coffee loudly. _"I have to admit that I like a little treat in the morning"._

_"Speaking of so... Do you remember what happened last night?"_ Gladio dared to ask while settling beside Ignis’ with his breakfast.

_"I remember we have a new furry resident ... Having dinner with my editor..."_ Ignis listed slowly, clearly concentrating on ordering his thoughts.

_"Aha ..."_ Gladio nodded, expectant to hear the disordered list that Ignis was reciting.

_"... And the bookmark",_ Ignis said without any blush on his cheeks. He was a polite man but also had some sassiness hibernating ready when he needed it.

_"The Bookmark ..."_ Gladio finally released with a smile _"Did you like the chapter, then?"_ He said circling the empty cup in his hand, watching the last drops of coffee wander through the bottom.

_“I had to stop reading in a particularly enjoyable part as I couldn’t give it the attention it requires”_. Ignis paused while tasting the generous layer of jam on his toast. " _I don't know if you know what I mean..."_ he said, almost purring as he sucked the sweet spread from his finger.

_"Clear as water, my king"_ said Gladio, taking Ignis' hand and licking just where he had timidly tarnished his skin with the tip of his tongue and then introduced slowly Ignis’ long finger in his mouth.

Ignis exhaled sharply when he noticed the moisture of Gladio's tongue on his flesh, recalling the feel of that tongue curling around other parts of his body last night. The only memory of Gladio’s head under his navel and the wet sensation on his finger made the muscles of his lower belly tense.

_"... Gladio"_ , begged trembly, tenderly dragging his hand, wanting to get away from the white-haired man.

Gladio stopped little by little, removing Ignis's finger from his mouth, kissing the tip in a swift sad goodbye, _"I just want you to know, I'm willing to read the next chapter whenever you want"._

* * * 

The morning passed peacefully for the two men. Ignis spent a few hours in his office classifying his latest works and canceling commitments and meetings. Gladio took care of the cats that seemed to make good friends easily, possibly because they were just as lazy as the other. Gladio served them fresh water and some food before he went out for a walk through the streets of Cautionum, as now they weren't dark or blurry as last night.

The stores were in line on the two sides of the main street. There were no footpaths or roads, only a path of fine sand that was getting lost in the horizon on the other side of the quarry. The landscape reminded him of those Galahdian movies with savages riding horses, shooting against mysterious riders with black capes. Gladio entered a small cellar where he found what looked to be a good quality bottle of wine. In the groceries shop, opposite to the cellar, he bought fresh vegetables and hot bread fresh out of the oven, which tempted him to take a piece, but he stoically resisted.

Almost at the end of the street, a small, dark cabin decorated with colored veils that fluttered and whirled with the wind, accompanied by the clink of several bells and mobiles caught his attention. The captivating aura of the store raised his curiosity and stood on the fragile stall that served as a small storefront.

Hand-carved gems, some in that Galahd recognizable tribal style, glowed intermittently at the sway of silks hanging from the roof of the hut porch. It was the most colorful thing that Gladio saw in decades. There were stones of all shapes, sizes and colors embedded in rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces.

_"Good afternoon, visitor"_ a soft melodic voice came from inside the premises _"Looking for something special?"._

Gladio looked up to discover a slender figure that approached the stall with a catlike walk, almost hovering from the floor. A refined bright red veil covered part of the face.

_ “Your place stands out from the others around here”. _

_"Maybe in appearance, but not in stocks, my good man"_ , the ambiguous voice laughed softly. _"I have nothing of great value, like everyone else. If you are looking for that gold from the old Altissia, I am sorry to say that you are not in the right place"._  
  
  


_... Gold of Altissia ... _

_ A golden glow, coming from one of the flashes of one of the bells that clinked by the wind, brought an old memory to Gladio. _

_ A very important one. _

_ One who had buried with jealousy at the bottom of his heart to keep the pain away. _

__ One that nobody knew …  
  
  


* * * 

_“Dude, you are very strange lately. What's wrong? Is perhaps the air of Altissia?”_ , asked the young prince, sitting on the edge of the bed of the luxurious hotel.

_"It will be that people here are posher than him"_ , Prompto laughed, sitting next to Noctis, taking off his boots.

_"Maybe it is the stench of your socks!"_ , Noctis thrust Prompto with his shoulder.

Gladio watched the two young men fight each other, playing. He groaned and took a quick look at his luggage. _"Tell Ignis I went for a walk"._

_"Seriously? Man, you stink"_ , said his majesty with a grin. _"Inmigration is going to kick you out of here due to chemical weapon and I don't think Ignis wants to start bureaucratic processes just because of your stench"._

Prompto and Noctis hooted and high-five after Noctis' comment. Gladio ignored the unmanageable over-tired boys and left the room, taking advantage that Ignis was still in the shower.

The intense greeting of the bellman when leaving the hotel distracted Gladio who was thinking on how to return to that store that he had spotted earlier coming from the border control of the harbour. He decided to follow his steps back to the port. That day fortune was on his side and he found it without much difficulty.

Ignis will never admit it, but being very close to everything related to Cosmogony made him superstitious. Sometimes he was reluctant if some actions that the boys or himself had done had brought bad augury or bad fortune to the ancient gods and he tried as hard as he could to avoid them or do something on exchange to keep balanced karma. 

Years ago Ignis, while flicking through a book about the mythological origin of Eos, a chapter mentioned something about a special type of gold, that was created in the only cave in Altissia, came from where Ifrit and Shiva used to have nocturnal encounters as lovers. Jewelers and goldsmiths used in wedding bands as a sign of eternal love and consequently, many couples use to travel specifically to Altissia to order them. That conversation was still in Gladio's memory and flourished as soon as he heard that Lunafreya was in Altissia and Noctis had to meet her as quickly as possible.

He returned to the hotel with one hand in his pocket, hiding the lump that the jewelry box was made, to avoid the possible questions of others.

He had several opportunities to give that ring to Ignis, but he was aware that the chamberlain was too tense due to the future meetings that Noctis had programmed with Lady Lunafreya and Camelia Claustra.

Gladio and Ignis were lucky enough to be able to enjoy moments of intimacy in the hotel room, more specifically in bed, naked in each other's arms, probably while Noctis and Prompto were going to cram into their mouths all the Altissian street food they find. 

Also, they had a couple of romantic dinners accompanied by a walk through the canals both on foot and in a gondola. Unfortunately, he never found the right occasion and the delicate gold-engraved ring fell into the water, next to part of the Altissia bridge where he shouted to Ignis for the last time before the accident.

*** 

_“Are you back yet?”, a_ sked the violet eyes framed by a striking red veil.

Gladio looked oddly at the merchant, who watched him from top to bottom exhaustively, paying special attention to the visible part of Gladio's chest tattoo and raised an eyebrow.

_"It seems that you are not an outsider at all",_ said the mysterious figure _"Are you here to visit your friend? Is the blind man, isn't he?"._

_"... Something like that, yeah",_ Gladio snorted, confused.

"In that case, follow me" inviting him to enter inside the Oddities store with a finger.

Gladio lowered his guard and followed the exotic figure. The interior was dark, but the reflection of the precious gems and crystals reflected on the walls next to the thick smoke of Galahdian incense gave a mystical and ethereal air to the place. The shopkeeper's thin fingers strolled down a bookshelf as he headed to the counter.

_"I have a lot to thank to Scient ... I mean, Reditus"_ , said with a mischievous smile.

Ignoring the shopkeeper's actions, Gladio flipped through the bookshelf, which was overflowing with books of mythology, history, Eos atlas and of course several copies of the books that Ignis had written.

_"Excuse me ... I'll be right back",_ said the soft voice as disappeared between the sheer colored curtains in the back room.

Gladio wandered around the premises. There were ointments, khol and handmade soaps and make-up in rustic and delicate containers made of glass and ceramic. Bags of incense, different types of teas, tarot decks and clothing accessories accompanied a round table covered with a moon phase pattern sarong that crowned a crystal ball.

_  
"... A fortune-teller?" Gladio thought. _

  
_"... Not exactly, gentleman"_ , said the shopkeeper, sitting at the round table, inviting Gladio to sit down. His white palm demanded Gladio's calloused hand, which he offered with a half incredulous smile, expectant of the shopkeeper's trick. 

The shopkeeper spent several minutes observing the lines, scars and callouses of the hand of the past king's shield. Ran his fingers tracing lines with the sharp tip of his long nails.

_"... Well?"_ Gladio asked, arching an eyebrow, holding out his laughter.

_ "It would be very silly of me to read your past ... For some reason, I can't read your future ... It's in darkness". _

_"What?"_ asked Gladio, with a chuckle.

_ "I just can see what your future can see. Your future is in darkness, like if it was blind". _

Gladio let go his hand of the shopkeeper's grasp and stood up from the chair with a shock. 

_"Give it to him this time",_ said the shopkeeper while standing up gently, placing a silver ring in the palm of Gladio's hand. _"There is no perfect moment. It doesn't exist"._

Gladio looked at the silver ring, skeptical.

_"The mine where the Altissian gold was taken was buried with the accident of the Goddess of Water"_. Saga took the ring from Gladio's still open hand.

_“This watermark here is made with one of the scales that fell on Leviathan. It'll turn iridescent with the moonlight". Saga once again left the ring in Gladio's hand “That's the closest material you can find nowadays. The silver comes from Lucis"_. The thin fingers surrounded Gladio's hand, closing it in a fist. _“You are very lucky to have a second chance.”_

Gladio dropped his jaw, feeling that it could touch the floor. He only articulated a ridiculous _"How much do I owe you?"._

Saga walked toward the counter. Gladio followed.

_"As you can see, it is already paid ..."_ whispered with a smile, pointing at a coin under the glass.

The Amicitia shield was carved on it.  
  


* * *  


On his way home, Gladio continued fiddling with the ring inside the front pocket of his torn jeans. The words that the last uncrowned king of Lucis echoed very loudly inside his head. He could hear him so loud that even his ears rumbled with the voice of the young prince.

_"Bro isn’t much of a big deal... At least he can wear a ring he wants to wear… Not like me"_. Gladio could see him staring at the ring of Lucii that rested on the palm of his hand.

He felt stupid. What did he intend to do with that ring? Was he going to give it to him? With what idea?

Marriage? His stomach churned at the thought.

_"The same acts carry the same consequences"_ Now it was Saga's voice, the shopkeeper, who took over Noctis's voice _“Don’t tempt your fate”._

He hit his left temple with the heel of his hand without slowing the pace back home. 

__ "I'm struggling with this fucking hungover. It's worse than I expected".  
  


* * *

Gladio closed the metal door behind him. The house was silent, so he kept the noise down. He decided to go to his bedroom to hide the ring in a safe place, but on his way down the hall, he saw Ignis sitting on the sofa playing softly with the cats.

_“Has any of those two got your tongue?”_ Asked Ignis pointing to the two furry ones.

_"Hey ... Sorry, I didn't want to bother if you were resting"_. Apologised Gladio, with a soft voice

_"Not at all. I was waiting for you for luncheon... After I colled to get an appointment with the lab",_ struggled Ignis to confess.  
  
_"That sounds awesome. Are you ok with it? Do you want me to drive you there?"_ Gladio offered, cautious.  
  
"I'll meditater about it. At the moment, I prefer to ignore the subject", said Ignis.

__

_ "Right... Perfect.... Lunch! I've brought some stuff. I'll prepare something quick". _

_"That's very kind of you. Thank you"_. Ignis smiled and remained sitting down on the couch with Noct and Pompom, now both asleep, curled up beside him.

Gladio prepared a quick and simple lunch. He told Ignis how his morning had gone and the fleeting visit to the Oddities store of the mysterious Saga.

_"Has she been living here for a long time?"_ Gladio asked curiously.

_ "I have no idea when they has been in town. Apparently, the shop was already opened when I moved in",  _ said Ignis, after he tried his soup. _  
_

__

_ "They?" _

_"Yes ... They",_ reaffirmed Ignis. " _Not everything is what it seems in this town, but for sure, we are free to be what we want and feel"._

_"I can tell... Them was very nice"_ , said Gladio, with his mouth full.

_"Have you bought anything from the shop?"_ , asked Ignis, curious. 

Gladio's heart skipped a beat. _"No, I only went to have a loot as the decoration of the site has caught my attention"._

_ "I understand. They say that it is all very colorful and colorful. I distinguish it by the strong smell of incense ... Just like you now". _

_"Do you notice the smell of incense from the store? I haven't even approached the incense!"_ Gladio exclaimed.

_"I sense it since you've come home",_ Ignis replied almost in a whisper. _"By the way, how's your hangover? Mine pretty bad"._

_* * *_

After lunch, Ignis returned to his office. Gladio offered his help in ordering the excessive amount of folders and files, but he rejected it very politely.  
  


_"Take the afternoon off",_ Ignis said softly.

_"I just finished the book I was reading. I have nothing to do",_ Gladio replied, from the door of the office.

_"Was it good?",_ Ignis asked, running his fingertips over his Braille texts.

_"It wasn't bad. It's from that Reditus guy, you know?"_ Gladio replied mockingly.

Ignis smiled, shaking his head.

_"It's a bit thick but very interesting",_ Gladio continued.

_"What do you mean by that?"_ Ignis laughed.

_"Nah, it's brilliant. Not even anyone in my family would have done better"._ Gladio advanced a few steps toward the table where Ignis was sitting. _"A true honor to read your words"_ Gladio took Ignis by the hands. He got up from the chair.

_“The hand of the king holds the shield. The shield protects the hand until it breaks”_ Quoted Gladio, whispering and stroking the back of Ignis's hands with his thumbs.

_ "I've never cracked once for you, my king. Not even when the Lucis's ring broke you into a thousand pieces... I wish I knew how to keep all your pieces together". _

_"Gladio ...",_ Ignis whispered sadly, with a grimace of pain. If he had tears, they would surely be peeking out of his eyes.

_"I'm sorry I yelled at you on that bridge...",_ Gladio apologized, drowning in his voice.

_ "You mean Altissia's bridge? It was a long time ago, Gladio..." _

_ "Too many years, Ignis. I have not stopped thinking about how you looked at me for the last time and it still hurts like if it was yesterday..." _

Ignis clenched his lips to stop shaking, even with his dry cheeks.

_"You have no idea how much I regret not having done it before",_ Gladio lowered his forehead and placed it on the backs of Ignis' hands. He sighed heavily, hearing again the voices of Noctis and Saga echoing, again and again, getting louder and stronger.

_ "The night walks through the streets and canals of Altissia, all the gondola rides, that dinner at the Maago, that night in front of the carousel..." _

Ignis raised his face in the direction of Gladio's voice.

_ "Don't wait for it to be late" _

The voices became unbearable. Gladio blamed the resentment, the pain, the regret and the damn migraine that was giving him at that time. Maybe it was a premature and careless act, but something out of this world pushed him to take out the ring he had in his pocket and placed it right on Ignis' finger over the scar that the Lucis's ring left years ago.

_ "It was all failed attempts to ask you to marry me..." _

Ignis's only movable eyebrow rose with a strong gasping. He covered his lips with his hand.

_ "It's not made with Altissia's gold like it had for you. But it's made of Lucian silver ... From home, Ignis. From where we belong. Where it all started and ended ..." _

Ignis separated his hands from Gladio's and with the other hand, without removing the ring, he felt it gently. It was a wide ring band with a slit in the middle. Gladio watched as he ran his fingers through the middle of the ring.

_ "This is a scale from Leviathan. It has a transparent blue and lilac glaze". _

_"Surely it's beautiful",_ Ignis whispered.

_"Let me be with you this time ..."_ Gladio purred, brushing his lips with those of Ignis _"I'll take care of you"._

Ignis nodded and opened his mouth slowly to receive the full lips of the white-haired man. The kiss was short but very intense and warm. Chaste and innocent, it made their hearts begin to beat together again.

Ignis rested his face on Gladio's shoulder as he surrounded him with his arms.

__ "I also have something to show you..."  
  


Gladio could tell how Ignis sighed as he separated from him as if he knew he was going to miss him. Ignis took him by the hand and they walked down the hall slowly. Ignis opened the door that led to the stairs that led up to his room.

The room was spacious and with little furniture. A double king size bed presided over the room accompanied by two bedside tables with twin lamps. On the right, there was a door that seemed to lead to a small bathroom. Next to the door stood the only wardrobe in the entire room, since the rest of the walls were full of bookshelves with books. There were so many bookshelves that Gladio struggled to see the blue shade of the walls. The carpet felt soft and relatively new under Gladio's feet as he wandered around the room still holding Ignis's hand. There were copies of all editions of all the books signed by Reditus. These books occupied a big shelf alone. The rest of the other books had the same cover. Looked like they were all the same copy over and over again. Gladio felt that a bit peculiar.

_"What do you see?"_ Ignis asked Gladio

_ " Books ... Lots of books...I didn't know you had so many". _

_"They're not books, except for those that I have written myself"_ Ignis replied, sitting on the bed, hearing how Gladio's feet were taking short, arrhythmic steps.

_"So, what's going on with the rest of the books?"_ He heard how Gladio's feet had a firmer step.

_"See it for yourself. Take one, but don't open it, please"._ Ignis said sternly, knowing Gladio could do a cheeky peak.

Ignis heard the fake leather of a shelf slip.

_ "I have one," said Gladio. "What do I do now?". _

_ "Sit by my side, please". _

Without saying a word, Gladio sat next to Ignis. Book in his lap, he took the blind man by the hand.

_"Open it now, please"_. Ignis asked, in a soft voice.

Without waiting for a second, Gladio opened the mysterious tome. He blinked several times incredulously. He turned several pages, and found the same content over and over again. His pulse quickened and his breathing broke for seconds. Nervous, he got out of bed and took another volume. Ignis heard Gladio's knees sink into the ground while the white-haired man tried to kill his cries. The plastic pages of the tome creaked when Gladio turned them.

Another volume fell to the ground after Gladio flipped through it. After this, several more fell.

_"I presume your pride doesn't allow you to talk..."_ The blind man remained silent listening to the actions Gladio did. He took a volume, flipped through it and threw it. He was grateful to have carpeting because it deadened the sound and what Gladio should fall "

__  
"... I can't believe it," Gladio sobbed "Are just pictures of you and me?"  
  


Ignis felt on the bed the first volume Gladio had taken from the bookshelf, put it on his lap and opened it. _"They are ... I wish they were in braille... Or I could feel them, somehow..."_ he said as he ran his hand over the plastic surface, wrinkling slightly as he moved his fingers in a melancholic air.

_ "Prompto made all these albums for me many years ago, he collected all these pictures for the good old days... The idea of having surgery done in my eye is not new, Gladio. I was contemplating it years ago. Just when Prompto had surgery on his leg and it turned out to be a successful process ..." _

Gladio approached the bed slowly while Ignis spoke

_"He made them to encourage me. To motivate me, so one day I could see us back again together. Just you and me."_ , Ignis continued, in a trembling voice.

Ignis noticed Gladio's weight on the mattress beside him. I felt the touch of his body.

_ "It was an afternoon, perhaps, the same or a couple of days before the Trent's attack. Prompto was talking about "those happy days" and I suddenly realized I couldn't remember something, Gladio". _

_"What it was?"_ asked Gladio, putting an arm around the blind man's shoulders, taking him in his deep embrace.

_ "I could visualize everything he was talking about: The blue of the sky, the shimmering tones of the carp that Noctis had caught ... But there was one thing I could not visualize" _

_"And what could you not see?"_ Gladio asked, taking Ignis's hand with his free hand

__"The color of your eyes, Gladio"  
  
  
"And then, nothing made sense to me anymore..."

__


	10. Rising like foam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluffly and explicit bathtime.

Ignis and Gladio spent much of the afternoon browsing the photo albums that Prompto had been collecting throughout the trip they made 20 years ago when the light reigned before the world of ruins. Holding hands, Gladio described the photos one by one with patience and as much detail as possible and Ignis just smiled and nodded, trying to remember the features, colors, marks of Gladio's face and body along with the description of the picture under Gladio's voice. They enjoyed that afternoon as they haven't done it in a long time, talking about their old friends and their secrets rendezvous behind the prince and the blond gaze and suspicion.  
  
_“It’s late,” said Gladio, closing the last album of the pile over the bed, “I’ll tidy up here. Why don’t you take a bath?”_  
  
_“I had a shower this morning. I’m fine, thank you”_ , said Ignis, standing up from the bed and stretching his back and shoulders “I will get ready something for supper and make sure Noct and Pompom are fine.”  
  
_“These two are always fine, they barely move… Are you sure they’re not plushies?”_ said Gladio with a half-smile, taking Ignis hands, stopping him doing downstairs _“C’mon, go to have a bath”,_ insisted the bigger man, wrapping Ignis’ arms around his waist with his strong arms.  
  
_“I can't comprehend why so much perseverance in me having a bath”_ , said Ignis while he ran his hands slowly up and down through Gladio’s back.  
  
_“Because I would love a bath right now and I don’t wanna be alone”,_ replied Gladio, with a smile.  
  
_"I don't think that's a good idea, Gladio,"_ said Ignis. _"My bathtub isn't that big."_  
  
Gladio smiled, mocking, biting his lower lip, hugging Ignis tightly _"I thought you would tell me you don't want to bathe with me."_  
  
_"No, of course, I wouldn't mind, but I don't think we were comfortable.”_  
  
Gladio slowly released Ignis to take his arm _"Surely it won't be as bad as that time at the Old Lestallum hostel”._  
  
_"That day that Noctis and Prompto were on the roof?"_  
  
_"Yeah ... I wonder what they would be doing"_  
  
_"Maybe the same as us, but outdoors."_  
  
Gladio was thoughtful _"Wow, I never thought they were so daring."_  
  
_"Reckless, I'd say"._  
  
_"Yeah ... well, whatever. Let's get you clean",_ said Gladio lively, while doing downstairs carefully, holding Ignis’ hand.  
  
Ignis ran the hot water and Gladio wen quickly to check on the two cats, that were eating together and licking the bottom of their bowls. Gladio filled them up. _“Sorry guys, you might need to pop to the roof again… Like that day”_. The two kitties looked a Gladio like if they understood him.  
  
  
  


  
Back in the bathroom, the tub was full and covered with warm and soft aromatic foam. Ignis was loosening his suspenders.  
  
_"That’s not your job,"_ he said hissing sensually, removing the braces from Ignis’ hands. He put his calloused hands on Ignis's shirt, unbuttoning it slowly.  
  
Ignis felt like Gladio releasing the buttons one by one, with parsimony, enjoying every extra inch of skin that the shirt was showing as it gave up under his fingers. Once all the buttons were undone, Gladio gently pulled up Ignis's shirt, which remained tucked into his pants, but it resisted to Gladio's blandly pulling.  
  
_"Don't tell me you're still wearing those lady garters..."_ , Gladio huffed, biting his lower lip, running his hand over his face and up to his hair, trying to hide how the only thought of Ignis wearing those elastic bands around his thighs drove him crazy and incredibly horny. Years ago, his favourite part of undressing him was leaving the “garters” on, as he used to call them.  
  
_"I have told you thousands of times, they are not garters..."_ Ignis tried to explain before Gladio interrupted him.  
  
_"Whatever ... The only thing I care about is that you are wearing them..."_  
  
Ignis affirmed silently with a half-smile that made Gladio go crazy. He didn't take his time unbuttoning Ignis’ trousers. He couldn't wait to see Ignis's thighs so, instead, he unzipped the trousers quickly and pulled them down as fast as he could, revealing the elastics bands and a rising erection under Ignis' underwear. Gladio, kneeling, stroked Ignis's thighs, sighing with admiration, exploring the silky touch of his skin, overlooking the scars on his legs that he didn't know, assuming they were done during the brutal attack of the raging Trents in Cautionum. The one where he lost his eye.  
  
Gladio ran his fingers under the elastic bands, feeling the tension they placed on Ignis’ snowy skin. His lips followed his finders, placing little kisses and bits to Ignis' firm skin, under the blind's man purring. Short after, his beloved garters took the same fate as Ignis' trousers and shirt, falling to the floor making the blind man sight nervously, feeling exposed and lost as he couldn't see Gladio.  
  
_"Is everything Ok?"_ Gladio asked noticing Ignis awkward gestures.  
  
_"All good, except that I would love to see you right now"_ , Ignis confessed, discouraged.  
  
_"Don't worry, you will be able to see me in any way you want after the surgery, dressed, naked... as you wish. But for now..."_ Gladio said putting Ignis's hands on his clothes _"You can see me the same way you read"._  
  
Ignis came out of his pile of clothes getting closer to Gladio and still on his underwear, he took off the thin tank shirt that Gladio wore. He ran his hands over Gladio's torso and back, noticing his pumped muscular structure and his broad full chest covered in thick hair. His round shoulders guided the blind man to Gladio’s strong neck. Ignis brought his face to the hollow between his collarbones, noticing Gladio's natural scent and heat of his skin over his lips while hi kissed his skin. He couldn't resist the temptation and continued feeling his neck with his lips, rubbing them softly against his Adam's apple to his jaw, brushing his opened mouth on Gladio's untidy beard with small and delicate kisses that made the bigger man moan from the bottom of his throat with low grunts.  
  
Still busy with Gladio's jawline, kissing it and licking it, evading Gladio’s lips and tongue that were hunting Ignis’ mouth. Ignis' lowered his hands slowly, feeling all the hills and valleys that Gladio's back muscles formed. He revived on his mind the traces of black ink that solemnly covered the bigger man's skin. Ignis flowed his hands around Gladio's waist, following his the adonis belt up and down with his fingers, building the moment before getting him fully naked. He finally set his hands on the button of the tight leather trousers that Gladio was wearing. As he unzipped his pants slowly, Ignis felt Gladio's hardness against his phalanges. The blind mand stroked the delicate skin with the back of his fingers, teasing Gladio.  
  
_"I may still wear ladies garters, but you still aren’t wearing any underwear”_ , purred Ignis at Gladio’s ear, nibbling his lobe.  
  
_"I always thought that wearing underwear is a waste of time"_ , huffed Gladio with a smirk. _"See? I'm already naked and you're still dressed"._  
  
Gladio kicked his clothes off and put his hands over the elastic band of Ignis’ underwear, rubbing his naked cock on the soft cloth that separated both cocks. _“Don't even think about stop touching me”_ , Gladio sighed when his hands went down Ignis’s hips "I want you to read me completely, I want you to learn every corner of my body". Ignis stepped out of his clothes with Gladio’s help. Lowered his head feeling vulnerable as he could feel Gladio’s gaze all over him saying those words, but his expression changed the moment that he felt Gladio's chest against his.  
  
_“Now is your turn",_ said Gladio in a low voice, grumbling. He took Ignis' hands and placed them touching his chest. Ignis’ concerned gesture was rubbed out at the same path as he caressed  
Gladio’s torso, back and shoulders.  
  
Gladio turned around and grabbed Ignis’ hands and placed them on his firm _asscheeks “C’mon don’t be shy. Give them a nice squeeze”,_ said with a chuckle.  
  
Instead, Ignis squeezed his fingers in Gladio’s side rolls, _"I can tell you're not a kid anymore"._  
  
_"Hey! I'm still in pretty good shape"_ , Gladio complained, turning his face back, seeing that Ignis was much more relaxed but had a rather mischievous smile on his face. He pinched the small rolls of Gladio's underbelly and sides.  
  
_“You’re kinda putting me off now…”,_ Gladio muttered under his breath when he saw Ignis entertain himself playing with his slight overweight.  
  
_"I can feel you're still toned and hard. We all grow old and we haven't had a very good fortune. We should be very thankfull that we are still alive. Don't be so hard on yourself. I feel you amazing"._  
  
_"It seems that you are justifying yourself",_ said Gladio, in a mocking voice.  
  
_"Well, since you don't believe my words..."_ purred Ignis in Gladio's ear, pressing his chest against Gladio's strong back, _"I'll have to prove it with facts"._  
  
Gladio sighed, tilting his head back _"I never took you for a liar, but you know please people with kind statements..."_  
  
_“Get in the bathtub for me, please_ ”, said Ignis cutting Gladio's low self-esteem speech palming his full arse.  
  
And so he did, after checking that the temperature was perfect. He stood inside the bathtub and helped Ignis in."There seems to be enough room in the bathtub for both of us, but we will be very tight"  
  
  
_"I'm so pleased to hear that...",_ Ignis said, circling Gladio's neck with his shoulders, bringing his body closer to his lover's.  
  
Gladio felt Ignis' erection against his cock, making pressure and dripping over the bare skin of his lower belly. He couldn't contain himself and kissed Ignis passionately. They sealed their lips with a long, wet and hungry kiss, exploring their mouths and stroking their lips with their tongues. Ignis gently licked Gladio's full lips while the bigger man tried to hunt for Ignis lips and trap them between his teeth.  
  
Ignis rocked his hips against Gladio's, swinging his body more and more intensely, making his breath more intense along with his movements.  
  
_"I see that your new scars have made you more savage",_ purred Gladio over Ignis’ mouth, trapping his slender waist with his callous hands.  
  
_"They are not new. I have had them for many years",_ Ignis explained while continuing nibbling Gladio's lips, _"The same Trent that tore my eye gave them to me"._  
  
_"What do you think about them?"_ Ignis asked Gladio, making Gladio turning around with a circling gesture.  
  
_"I won't be the one to judge the appearance of a man marked by a battle"._  
  
Ignis put his hands on Gladio's broad shoulders, posing short kisses on them, from side to side as he fiddled with the long, soft braid of white hair that fell halfway through his inked shoulder blades.  
  
_“Do you have enough space to kneel?”,_ asked Ignis, whispering over Gladio’s neck, making the bigger man shiver.  
  
_“And if I don't have it, I do it for ya, my king”._  
  
Gladio knelt with his back facing to Ignis and rested his elbows on the edge of the bathtub. Ignis guided himself with his hands on his lover's body to place himself easily kneeling behind him. Ignis started caressing Gladio's back, hugging him lovingly, feeling the warm water and soft aromatic foam around his thighs.  
  
Ignis licked his fingertips copiously, under Gladio's gaze.  
  
_"Can't you wait any longer?",_ Gladio asked, smiling at the lustful and quiet gesture that Ignis's perpetually closed eyes gave to his gorgeous face.  
  
_"Do you want me to stop?"_ ,asked Ignis, biting his lower lip, clearly not happy with the idea of stopping  
  
_"I'm just kidding",_ chuckled Gladio.  
  
_"Oh... for fuck sake...",_ muttered Ignis, slapping Gladio's ass quickly and licking his fingers once again. He rubbed Gladio's entrance softly, feeling what the body of the bigger man told him with every movement and increasing the pressure gently over his ring.  
  
_"I can see you've lost practice",_ whispered softly Ignis, over Gladio's neck. His fingers glided smoothly but with difficulty. He could feel his lover's body closing uncomfortably on him.  
  
Ignis kissed Gladio's back, following his spine, making circled movements with his finger. Ignis kept going down Gladio's back and bit his buttocks hungrily. Gladio curved his back, offering a better angle to his lover, that buried his face between the bigger man's buttocks, caressing the rim of his hole with the tip of his drooling tongue, still with a finger going in and out his body slowly, making Gladio moan shyly.  
  
Ignis rested his chest completely on Gladio's back so he could reach Gladio's cock with his free hand. _"I didn't remember you so big, what a pleasant surprise…”,_ purred Ignis licking the neck of the bigger man. Gladio was holding on to the edge of the tub, sighing under the words and caresses that Ignis blessed him with. Being tamed by the blind man like a docile beast.  
  
Ignis knew how much Gladio liked to be told how big his cock was, and how fast it was to get him to reach his limit.  
  
Ignis scissored his fingers inside Gladio's body and stroked his wide cock with the other hand, up and down, giving special attention to his glans, that drooled over Ignis’ skinny and delicate hand.  
  
_“If you keep it up like this, I won't take long…”,_ growled Gladio, lowering his head, leaning his forehead over his arms, hiding his face. Ignis introduced a third finger and accelerated the pumping on Gladio's wide cock. The velvety touch that Ignis's fingers made on his prostate, triggered an electric whiplash over Gladio's body. A strong and intense sensation waved all over his physique, from his core to the tips of his fingers, panting in a ridiculously sharp voice, repeating Ignis’ name.  
  
Gladio's penis beated greatly in Ignis's hand, who took care to collect as much cum as possible, prevent it from falling into the water. Still panting and regaining his breath, Gladio arched his back when felt Ignis’ hand spreading his own seed all over his asshole. Gladio tilted his head on his side and noticed Ignis touching himself slowly.  
  
_“You're making me wait too long... You're making me suffer, my king”,_ said the bigger man, resting his cheek on his arm, looking at Ignis's face. He had slightly wet hair, resulting from the hot room mist. His pale skin turned pink in the parts that were in contact with the foamy water and on his cheeks and cheekbones.  
  
Ignis grabbed Gladio by the hips and approached his pelvis to Gladio's buttocks, rubbing his cock between them, squishing his asscheeks with both hands, making higher pressure over his trapped cock, helping to lubricate his length with Gladio’s natural lube all over his cleft.  
  
Gladio clenched his teeth when he noticed Ignis's cock entering his body little by little. He felt a sharp and stabbing pain and his body tensed slightly. Ignis stroked Gladio's back gently "Tell me when you want me to continue", Ignis said softly, with almost halfway inside of him.  
  
_“Use me as you please, my king. I can take more than you think",_ growled Gladio.  
  
_“As you wish, my dear”,_ purred Ignis over Gladio’s ear. _“But if you get too much, let me know”._  
  
_“I can never get too much of you”,_ said Gladio with a smirk, feeling how Ignis increased the pressure over his body.  
  
Without stopping but at a slow pace, Ignis introduced its full length into the body of his lover. His cock was longer rather than wider but still bigger than the average. He waited several seconds to give Gladio time to adjust. Ignis lowered his torso and hugged Gladio over his waist, resting his face against Gladio's strong back. Ignis rocked his hips, still completely inside Gladio's body, as a slow sensuous dance that Gladio accompanied too, rocking and swinging his hips with him. The bigger man lifted an arm, reaching Ignis moist hair.  
  
_“I love your hair”,_ said Gladio with a husky voice.  
  
_“I adore yours too, my dearest…”,_ answered Ignis, straightening his body. Ignis put one hand firmly on Gladio's waist and grabbed the braid of white hair with the other, circling his hand on it as if it were a lifesaver rope, pulling Gladios’ head backwards.  
  
Ignis started thrusting against his lover's buttocks, pulling his hair steadily. Soon, Ignis’ movements became increasingly intense. His sharp rhythm and the shortage of lube, made Gladio hiss sharply. _"You're tight..."_ grunted Ignis biting his lips, enjoying the sensation of Gladio becoming tighter around his cock.  
  
Ignis felt how Gladio wanted to lower his head again, but he prevented him from pulling the braid even harder, _"you told me to use you and that’s what I’m doing"._ The feeling of Gladio's hair wrapped around Ignis' hand and the tightness of his body, made Ignis's moans become dry deep-toned howls. His full body pulsed, beating a wave down to all his limbs. He could hear his heartbeat inside his head accompanied by an illusion of an amber glistening aura. Gladio turned his head back wanting to see Ignis’ face.  
  
His jaw hanged, parted plump red lips and mouth open, gasping as much air as the pleasant wave that ran all over his body allowed him. He was extremely imbued in that extrasensory experience that his scarred eye opened slightly for a second, exhibiting a cloudy green flash. His collapsing rhythm and the corners of his curved up lips made Gladio smile.  
  
Ignis spilled completely inside Gladio's body, pushing his cock deep inside him, feeling the lasts waves of pleasure still with hid body shaking. Ignis' rested his face on Gladio’s back, coming back to the raw reality.  
  
_“Are you OK?”_ , asked Gladio.  
  
_“I think...I... For a second, I thought I had seen the color of your eyes”_ said Ignis, puffing, still short of breath.  
  
_“What?”,_ Gladio asked, leaning back, touching Ignis's chest. Ignis still inside him. _“That’s not possible”_.  
  
_“I know",_ said Ignis, placing kisses in Gladio's broad shoulders. _"It's been a long time since I don't have such an intense orgasm…. Perhaps that is the reason"._  
  
Gladio preferred not to say anything about the eye that Ignis had open for a few seconds and enjoy those intimate moments with him. “C’mon, now’s my time to rub your back”.  
  
_“At least you could you let me recover a little first…”_ begged Ignis, leaving Gladio's body slowly. _“I’m gonna miss you”_ said Ignis, feeling the unsure freedom on his flaccid cock.  
  
_“Me too”_ said Gladio, turning his head back, taking Ignis face with a hand and placing a tender kiss on his lips, _“but I think is better if we finish this bath properly. Turn around now, please, my king”_ , said Gladio, taking the bottle of soap and a clean sponge.


	11. A throne for the King

His back was hurting from having spent a long part of the day sitting down. The car trip had been hard, longer than expected due they had to take a couple of turns before finding the hidden laboratory gate.

It was set in an ancient concentration camp that the old Empire used to imprison civilians near the area before the Darkest Years. They rang the intercom, chaired by a huge camera. Ignis digitized with a clear and loud voice, the entry code the lab team had given him when he confirmed his appointment a few days ago.

The doctors attended Ignis immediately and Gladio waited in the blazing waiting room. Browsing the same 'Hot Rods' car magazine side to side remembering Cindy. The last time he saw her was years ago when he asked for a replacement carburetor for his bobcat. She looked just as beautiful but with longer hair, tied in a messy low bun on the edge of her characteristic cap. She still had that tender smile and a bright sparkle in her eyes that practically no longer remained in anyone's soul anymore. Apart from hers.

He closed the magazine and put his elbows on his knees. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to clarify his vision. The LED light reflected the white walls of the waiting room and, after such a long time, his eyes were starting to hurt a little.

_"It's been two hours now..."_ he thought to himself, glancing at the clock over the reception desk.

The receptionist noticed the deep sigh that Gladio released and, troubled, began to search through several folders as she had forgotten something relevant. Gladio ignored her and closed his eyes, crossing his arms over her chest as he plunged back in the chair, settling for a short nap

_"Excuse me, sir"_ , said a soft female voice.

Gladio opened one eye and saw a brown cardboard folder in front of his face. _" Are you Mr. Scientia's companion?"._

_"It's something wrong?",_ he asked in a pant, slightly disturbed and worried.

_ "Not at all. Our team is already finishing with Mr. Scientia's check-up. Could you please read this information and sign it?". _

Gladio, surprised, nodded. _"Why would they make me sign documents?"_ , he questioned to himself when he took the folder and the pen the lady offered him.

_ "Can I bring you anything? A coffee, a glass of water ...?". _

_"A coffee would be great. Thank you"_ , he replied winking at the receptionist, who blushed slightly as she turned on her heels before heading to the coffee machine.

Gladio flicked through the pages of the documents. There was personal information from Ignis beyond his blood type that Gladio didn't know about.

Several pages with analytics, full of acronyms that didn't understand or never heard about them before. He turned the pages quickly, shrugging his shoulders in ignorance.

A sheet of paper of more weight made him suddenly stop. A large and characteristic typography titled the document.

_**"Will"** _

Gladio's heart skipped a beat, cutting his breath and leaving his throat dry.

A shadow approached from his side _"Here is your coffee, sir"._

_"T-Thank you,"_ Gladio stuttered to the lady.

The young lady came to his side, now with more confidence. _"We need you to sign the statement that Mr. Scientia has written to us in addition to several extra clauses that he wanted to add,"_ the brown-haired lady explained as she turned the pages. _"Once you have signed them, you just need to read this confidentiality document, get the date, time, name and your signature here"_. The lady continued making small crosses at the end of the document indicating the gaps that Gladio had to fill up.

_“Please bring it to the counter, when you’re done"_. The girl stood up "Your husband will leave the examination room soon, sir", she added smiling warmly, looking at Gladio's hand, which rested on Ignis's will.

Gladio lowered his eyes to the paper:

_ “ Ignis Stupeo Scientia, a legal adult with an address at 8 Dusty Hill, Cautionum, being of competent and sound mind, do hereby declare this to be my last will and testament and do hereby revoke any and all wills and codicils heretofore made jointly or severally by me. I further declare that this Last Will & Testament reflects my personal wishes without any undue influence whatsoever.” _

  
  


Gladio continued to analyze the document, nodding at each point. He would never reject any of Ignis wills or whims. Ever again.

  
  


_ “I give, devise and bequeath all of the remaining and residual property I have ownership in at the time of my death, whether real property, personal property or both, of whatever kind and wherever situated to my partner, Gladiolus Amicitia, absolutely and entirely.  _ Upon my death, I direct that my remains were cremated with no burial celebration and scattered in the sea that surrenders under the hill overlooking the old city of Insomnia, my hometown”.

Gladio's hand trembled as he remembered that that was where they spent the last night they were together for the last time, the four of them. They laughed, cried and said goodbye in silence to each other, thinking about what awaited them when they woke up as the next day occurred when the sun came up, after the death of the last king of Insomnia in the exact place that belonged to him, the throne his father.

The front door opened, Ignis crossed it by the arm of one of the doctors. Both were smiling and having a conversation in a low and discreet voice. Ignis was completely dressed and wearing his dark glass glasses to protect his wounded eyes from the sunlight on the way to the lab, but he had tangled hair and the increasing fatigue was reflected on his face.

_ "Here is your husband, Mr. Scientia. Excuse me, I will bring you a chair since he is still completing the documents in your file". _

"Thank you very much, much appreciated". said Ignis, putting his hand over Gladio's shoulder.

Gladio covered Ignis's hand with his. The blind man squeezed his hand affectionately, telling him with it that he missed Gladio all this time we were in the examination room.

_"All good?",_ Gladio asked in a trembling voice.

Ignis felt the anxiety in Gladio's voice. _"Yes, everything is fine. I'll give you more details on our way back home"._

After a few brief seconds, the doctor appeared with a cup of hot green tea. Behind her, the young receptionist carried a chair, which she left next to Gladio.

_"Here is your chair and your tea, Mr. Scientia"_ , said the doctor with her low voice and a smile adorned with a beauty mark next to her bottom red lip.

Ignis thanked them both for their attention and sat next to Gladio, crossing his legs and enjoying the warmth of the cup of tea.

_"You're not drinking coffee... You're not my Ignis. Where's my Iggy?",_ Gladio asked, checking the contents of the cup.

_"Zero coffee until after the surgery",_ Ignis said, sipping his hot tea.

_"...What is all this paperwork?",_ Gladio asked, closing the folder, waiting for an explanation of Ignis.

_ "It's just legal documents, Gladio. Nothing to worry about". _

_"I'm here, waiting for you for hours, and the blonde brings me your will, fuck, Ignis... How do you think I felt?"_ asked Gladio, lowering his voice into a growl, tensing his teeth.

_"I understand the disturbance and I sincerely apologize, I wasn't aware of this type of procedure. I can assure this is just meaningless bureaucracy”_ , said Ignis, putting a hand over Gladio’s thigh, reassuring what he just said.

_“I’m very surprised to hear you saying 'meaningless and bureaucracy' in the same phrase”,_ said Gladio, squeezing Ignis’ hand softly. _“So, is that all you’d like me to do if the worst happens?”._

_“Please…”,_ asked Ignis.

_"Gotcha..."_ ,Gladio sighted again, closing the folder after signing it.

_“I'm done",_ said Gladio, looking at Ignis' weary look. _"Let’s go home. Is getting late and I’m sure you’re exhausted”,_ said Gladio. _“I’m gonna drop this to the reception”._

Ignis nodded as he heard Gladio standing up.

Gladio walked slowly. His stiff body struggled after spending long hours sitting down in an uncomfortable chair. Another reminder that he wasn't on his 20 anymore. He stretched on the reception desk. The young lady looked up, finding Gladio's full and broad chest expanding in front of her. She flushed and greeted the long-haired man.

_"Finished, Mr. Amicitia?"_ she asked, challenging the amber eyes that looked at hers.

_"I think so,"_ he said. _"Do you want to check it out?",_ flirted hopelessly  Gladio, glancing at her with seductive eyes and voice.

The young woman opened the folder, still peeping sideways at Gladio's face, who was smirking at her with his characteristic half-smile.

The lady took a few moments to examine the document. _"Excellent!"_ she said as she leaned in her office chair to store Ignis' folder in a large filing cabinet. Next to her desk, she grabbed a bag and handed it to Gladio. _"This is for your husband. The instructions are inside."_

Gladio took the bag. _"Have a good afternoon,"_ he said, winking an eye at the receptionist, turning around and finding Ignis just beside him, standing, waiting to leave.

_"Is everything ready?",_ Ignis asked, bending his elbow and lifting his arm, asking for Gladio's guidance to the door, who took him by the arm before heading for the gate. The rough door opened automatically after a short buzzing.

_"I may explain to you all the process if you explain to me about that foolish coquetting with the receptionist",_ said Ignis, pinching Gladio's underarm, playing.

Both kept silent throughout the ascending track of the elevator. Ignis was smiling with a strange gesture.

_"He's hiding something, that's for sure”,_ though Gladio for himself.

After leaving the elevator, they went through several security checks, confirming their _"Companion" and "Patient"_ passes to the security guards and scanning them at the automatic doors.

  
  


*** 

The journey back home was tense. Ignis kept the same silence and face as before leaving the building. Progressive Rock lessened the discomfort in the environment. Since he was younger, Gladio had been a lover of heavy metal and rock, but now, he preferred something more melodic, especially for driving when he has some company with him, but he also enjoyed blasting the car speakers with some of the more popular tunes between the metalheads when he was in the mood for it.

Gladio grasped Ignis's hand from time to time, letting him know that he was there for him, and only for him. Days ago he told him to use him at his will. If Ignis wanted him to run errands, let his neck being bitten, cook, being teased until he exploded, cleaned, fixed the two shelves that were hanging from the wall, scrubbing the bathroom, pulling his hair when Ignis fucked his ass mercilessly, make dinner ... And he really meant it with all his heart.

The blind man just smiled, melancholic and thoughtful, listening to the music, feeling Gladio's hard hands caress his own. Gladio's hands, although scratchy, felt full of love. They made him feel safe. They made him feel at home.

Gladio fiddled with Ignis's ring while smiling without taking his eyes off the road. The only memory of the doctor and the receptionist calling Ignis "her husband" made Gladio smile. A low laugh snitched it to Ignis's ears.

_"Are you're laughing?"_ Ignis asked.

_"I'm just thinking about the doctor saying you were my husband",_ said Gladio, twisting Ignis's ring around his slender finger.

_"I have been asked who you were for security reasons. I have told you that you were my partner, but I have not specified the type of union",_ Ignis said defensively.

_ "I see..." _

_"I apologize if it bothered you. I am aware of your thoughts about marriage"._ Ignis said, turning his face slightly, trying to perceive the different tones of Gladio's voice, waiting for an answer.

_"I wish it was true",_ said Gladio in a fearless and candid voice

Years after the sun returned to bathe the lands of Eos, several false religions sprouted like a wild weed, thus losing spiritual and religious significance. People barely celebrated weddings or civil unions as they've lost spiritual meaning due there was no merciful and pious God to receive blessing from. Some people began to worship Bahamut and rose being recognized as the only reliable God, but Gladio did not keep a good memory of him after what happened with Noctis. Same was for Ignis, but he was much more reticent to confess his dislike for him due his superstitious beliefs forged after years of reading and studying Cosmology

_"I didn't imagine you would want to remarry again,"_ Ignis said, turning his hand, intertwining his fingers with Gladio's.

_"I also didn't think I was going to sign your Will today, and look, here we are"._ Gladio squeezed Ignis's hand.

_"Getting married is worthless in this time",_ said Ignis, moving his face to the window, feeling the air on his cheeks, pretending he didn't care.

_"It doesn't have to. Just people have lost faith in themselves and in God after the Darkest Years. But you are the only person left in all of Eos who has survived and did a deal with the Gods. Although, you were punished for it."_ Gladio paused. _"You become blind for daring to look into Bahamut's eyes. You are the only person in the whole world who knows for sure that there is on the other side..."._

Ignis was remembering everything he saw that day and his face became bitter.

_"You could start a new business marrying people after your operation. They could get the blessing of the one that challenged the Gods and survived",_ he continued mockingly.

_"You mean I'm the only one who could really marry couples?",_ asked, Ignis, playing.

_ "Maybe?" _

_"... Then, we better buy a bottle of wine for tonight ...",_ Ignis whispered under the rock music, trying to overlook the conversation and the excitement that started in his chest, hiding it from Gladio.

  
  


***

Upon arriving home, the two cats met Gladio and Ignis at the entrance asking for cuddles. Ignis grabbed Noct and Pompom in his arms and rubbed their faces with the tip of his nose, talking softly to them. Gladio closed the door behind him and left the medicine bag in the kitchen before placing two cups in the coffee machine. The roar of the machine covered Ignis's chatter with the two kittens on their way to the lounge.

Gladio entered the room with the two cups of decaf coffee in his hands. Ignis, sitting on the couch with Noct and Pompom on his lap, took off his darkened glass glasses and put them on the coffee table. Gladio saw puncture marks around his cheekbones and forehead around his eyes.

Gladio sat in front of him, approaching a chair. _"That looks painful. Did they hurt you much?"._

_"Not too much. They had to test my sensitivity and movement levels",_ Ignis replied, taking one of the cups Gladio approached him.

_"... Are you going to tell me what they did to you?",_ Gladio asked in a calm and receptive voice.

Ignis nodded. _"A little group of scientists explained me a little the history of the laboratory. Apparently, the vast majority of the team are former members of the old Empire's laboratories. Rebels. They began to build the facilities of the center before The Darkest Years and well ... after what happened with the Empire, more research assistants and doctors began to rebel against the Empire and joined the independent team that started here"._

_"Those fuckers of the Empire were all a bunch of bastards, but they were very good at biotechnology..."_ Gladio muttered, tasting his coffee.

_ "Indeed. After the introduction, they made me take off my clothes and scan me ..." _

_"Fully naked? Lucky them ..."_ growled Gladio.

Ignis scoffed a smile "... Well, they explained to me what the entire surgical process consists of with many technicalities that I could barely understand. Dr. Jess, but she seemed very excited with it."

_"So, you know what they are going to do to you?",_ Gladio asked, approaching Ignis to take his hand.

_ "In essence, they will put an iron plaque at the base of the empty eye cavity. This plaque has electeodes that will be connected to the occipital lobe of my brain ..." _

_"But ... that's the back of the head, right?",_ Gladio asked

_ "And that is where the complication lies. In connecting those electrodes to the back of my brain without hurting anything around it". _

_"That sounds dangerous and I don't..."_ Gladio put his hands on Ignis' shoulders _"I don't want anything to happen to you ... I just want this to end, that you can keep writing ... Keep the memory of Lucis alive as you 've been doing until now... It seems to be what it makes you happy"._

Ignis sighed through his nose, _"the good thing is, once after you have installed the sensor, they just need to place the artificial eye on my cavity..."._

_"And you would be able to see again?",_ Gladio asked with some relief in his voice.

_ "I will from one eye, yes. The one that Bahamut touched is unrecoverable. Right after the surgery, my brain would not be able to process all the colors of the light spectrum, but it can be adjusted by configuring the artificial eye. Dr. Jess has told me that this could be done in the clinic in the same visit of the first check-up after the surgery if the eye is healing fine". _

_"Wow ... impressive…”,_ gasped Gladio, surprised.

_“Indeed”,_ Ignis said, after taking a breath of air. _"The operation will be in a couple of days"._

_"Shit, that's fucking close!"_ , Gladio exclaimed.

_ "I know ... that's why they gave me all those drugs. It's a preparatory treatment.I must start it tonight". _

Gladio picked up the bag of the kitchen. On the way to the lounge, he opened it and looked at all the boxes inside, _"there are quite a few boxes here"._

_ "Most are pills but I think there is a box of injectables too". _

Gladio rummaged inside the bag. _"Yes, here is a box of three injections... and instructions here"._

Gladio took the booklet and sat next to Ignis. He read aloud the guidance and the medicine leaflets. Gladio took notes on how and when to take them. He also knew that Ignis had to complete the process rigorously. Gladio read for a long time, but stopped when he noticed Ignis's head resting on his strong shoulder, falling asleep.

****

  
  
  


The smell of the stew cooking slowly in the kitchen woke Ignis up. He needed a few moments to perceive the low purr that the cats made under the blanket he was covered with. He ran his hand over the cushions on his back, noting he was on the sofa. He had fallen asleep on the couch.

He slipped his hand underneath the blanket. Noct’s scratchy tongue licked his finger, "Hello little one", said in a husky voice, still half asleep, "I'm sorry I’m taking your place here”, said Ignis while sitting up. He felt a cold breeze on his chest. Gladio had loosened his shirt, unbuttoning the first buttons. He also had undone his trousers and took off his belt.

_“Are you awake now, sleeping beauty?”_ Ignis heard Gladio’s voice approaching to the lounge.

_“I am. Also, am half-naked. I presume you have something to do with it”,_ said Ignis feeling Gladio’s hairy cheek against his, while Gladio embraced him. His hair smelled like tomatoes and garlic.

_“I didn’t know you can cook…”_ teased the blind man, rubbing the tip of his nose against Gladio’s.

_“I haven’t survived just by cup noodles all these years without you. I’ve bought a couple of cooking books when…”,_ Gladio stopped suddenly.

_“Ha! When Dhalia left? Tomatoes, garlic and onion are widely used as a base in Galadian cooking”,_ laughed Ignis at the though of Gladio buying cooking books.

_“Are you ready for dinner?”,_ asked Gladio, changing the flow of the conversation.

_“I am ready when you are”,_ purred Ignis, rubbing his lips over Gladio’s full ones. Gladio didn’t replied back at him, as he devoured Ignis mouth and possessed every corner of it with his burning and flavored tongue. Ignis let himself be conquered by the bigger man’s passion.

Ingis' hands went down from Gladio's neck to his shoulders, noticing the strips of the apron he was wearing. Gladio knelt in front of Ignis, who was still sitting on the couch, making space for him between his legs, strolling his hands among the blind man's thighs.

_“We should leave this for dessert, my King”,_ Gladio said, barely licking Ignis' lips slowly with the tip of his tongue as he stood up, helping the blind man with him.

The stew was just fine. The meat was well cooked. As Ignis had predicted, the base was made with tomatoes, onion and garlic. The vegetables were cut into big chunks, something that Ignis didn't quite convince, but he had to admit that it was tasty.   
  


  
****   


  
Just after dinner, Gladio gave the first set of pills to Ignis, warning him that it might make him sleepy or make him feel more sensitive as the leaflet explained. Ignis took them with the glass of water he had for dinner as he couldn't drink.

_"Too bad you can't take this wine",_ said Gladio, after Ignis swallowed the medicines.

_ "Where did you get it from? I don't remember having a bottle at home". _

_"I bought it the same day I went to Saga's",_ said Gladio, filling up his cup again for the fourth time.

_"Ah, I see. Then it's from the local winery. It must be good then. Dennis doesn't have much stock, but he does has quality bottles,"_ Ignis said.

Gladio grabbed the empty bottle and read the label, _"It says it is made in the Myrlwood vineyards",_ Gladio paused to continue reading the label. _" Smooth blend produced with Red Picott and Black Ulwaat grapes. Perfect to drink accompanied by a cheese board and red meat"._

_"Not bad",_ hummed Ignis. _“Sure it tastes nice, sounds like a nice combination”._

Gladio stood up and leaned down upon Ignis slowly, pulling loosened strands that escaped from his white braid away from his face, tucking them behind his ear. His soft hair brushed Ignis temples, who raised his face with parted lips, waiting for Gladio's. The sharp notes he tasted coming from the wine of Gladio's tongue spread rapidly through Ignis' taste buds. The heat and moisture of Gladio's saliva lowered the sweet notes of the Ulwaat grape, which accompanied the subtly woody trail of the Red Picot's grapes. The taste of the wine began to fade due to Gladio's flaming lust, burning into Ignis’ mouth.

Ignis traveled wit it. He got carried away into Gladio's passion that he didn't get noticed that his medication began to take effect. He didn't notice either that his hands began to untie Gladio's apron now the bites that Gladios was giving him on his neck and shoulders, now exposed as the bigger man was already undressing him.

His head was spinning, and he felt somewhat dazed and weak, but he didn't care. It felt so good...

Gladio's thick chest hair appeared to lengthen between Ignis' fingers, stretching and swelling, forming the shape of the wings of the inked bird that marked Gladio's chest. Ignis ran his hands over Gladio's shoulders, feeling the feathers, becoming softer and more defined. A breeze seemed to rock those wings and the feathers with it. The ground disappeared from Ignis' feet. But he didn't care because he felt at home between Gladio's arms.

_“Gladio...your bird…”_ , managed to say Ignis. He heard his voice far, far away, muttered.

_“You're being very weird Ignis..."_ said Gladio, carrying Ignis in his arms as he headed to the bedroom. “ _Must be the medication”._

***

  
  


It didn’t matter that the sheets were covering the floor, Gladio's hair was completely loose, spreading around his broad shoulders and Ignis's hair was tangled between Gladio’s hands. They devoured each other as if it were the last time. With hunger, with passion, with pure love. The caresses were transformed gradually into claws, digging into each other's flesh.

There were no more kisses, only bites and small bruises over their chest, neck and shoulders. Ignis felt his sweat evaporate before leaving the pores of his skin. Gladio's touch burned like melted iron.

_“I'm hot ...",_ Ignis complained, hoarsely.

_"I know you're hot ... That's why I can't take my mouth from you",_ said Gladio, licking at Ignis nipples, that were getting erect and hard because of the stimulation caused by the fleshy lips of the white-haired man.

Gladio realized that Ignis was much more sensitive than usual, moaned and wiggled more than was normal in him. _“I don't know what that medication you take has, but you seem to be having a great time, my King”,_ purred Gladio kissing Ingis' sternum, leaving a trail of kisses nipple to nipple, biting the soft flesh of the chest around his areolas.

Ignis threw back his head and kept his mouth open while breathing rhythmically. Gladio kept a smirk all the time for seeing and feeling Ignis so sensitive. _"Fuck Ignis, I can't wait to get inside of you today",_ he growled as he went down from his chest to his pubis, licking every inch of his skin. _"I've missed this happy trail so much… ”._

Gladio’s beard's brushed Ignis’ short pubic hair as his lips approached the base of the blind man's penis. His head, dripping already precum over his lower belly, was risen and swollen. Gladio pushed Ignis cock aside and ran his tongue through the wet area, tasting his lover.

_ “Sweet as always”. _

Ignis felt how Gladio's hot mouth was walking freely along his length. He lowered his hands to caress his lover's head, already bobbing up and down slowly, tangling his fingers into Gladio's loose hair, making long movements with his hands feeling all the length of his hair. _"Your feathers ... Your wings ... They are beautiful",_ sighted Ignis.

Gladio continued sucking his lover without saying a word, as he couldn't take his mouth away from him. Gladio accelerated the rhythm and intensity of his caresses and licks. His cheeks were sinking more and more as he caressed what his mouth couldn't reach with his fist, moving it up and down quickly.

Ignis, disoriented in the humid and warm mist of his sweat evaporating, clenched his fists still with strands of Gladio's hair between his fingers. His pelvis shook violently against his will. Against Gladio’s throat.

_ "Fuck my mouth, Ignis". _

Gladio's calloused hand pushed aside one of Ignis's thin thighs, gently introducing a wet finger into his rear.

_ "Fuck Iggy, you're pretty ready for me today ..." _

It was not difficult for Gladio to introduce two and up to three fingers inside Ignis' body. Ignis kept pressing his pelvis against Gladio's throat as his moans became louder and louder. His belly tensed and his feet stretched when a wave started pumping and running throughout his body from his core to the tips of his fingers, expelling his seed inside Gladio's mouth. Gladio took care of taking everything he could in his mouth and swallowing it with thirst.   
  
Ignis sensed amber hues as he recovered from the intense orgasm. The deep breaths that brought him back from the limbo where he was, linked with moans he released when he felt Gladio's wide cock penetrated his body. Little by little, he noticed the weight and the warmth of the bigger man's over him. Gladio sighed and growled low straight from his throat at the feel of Ignis's body opening beneath his.

_“You really feel different today, my King…”,_ Gladio purred at Ignis' ear. caressing his neck with the tip of his nose.

Ignis still succumbed into his ethereal lust, kept being lost into that mysterious sensation. Gladio's body imprisoned him against the mattress, rocking at a slow pace his strong hips against Ignis hole. The blind man felt overwhelmed.

_"Are you ok?",_ asked Gladio after feeling a sudden tightness around his cock.

_"I just ... need some air ...",_ gasped Ignis, in a dry voice.

_"As you wish, my king,"_ Gladio pulled slowly away and lied perpendicular to Ignis, on his side and taking the blind man's legs over his hip. He had a total vision of Ignis' body, beautiful and decadent, who was resting on his back, with his knees bent over Gladio's hip. The bigger man caressed Ignis' lower belly and took him by the hand when he penetrated him again without any difficulty. He entered his lover's body one more time, slowly and carefully. Ignis tangled his long fingers between Gladio's calloused hand as he felt his penis invading repeatedly. He let out a groan from his throat, and another, and another ... Intensifying and merging with Gladio's growls.

Due to the accelerated pulse and over-oxygenation, Ignis's mind began to wander again.

_"Where I am?"_ asked, visibly gone.

Gladio smiled as he realized that Ignis was in his world again and let him enjoy his vivid reverie. " _What you can see?"_ He asked slowing down to pay attention to his expression.

" _The throne room",_ Ignis replied.

Gladio did not expect that answer and stopped moving suddenly _"Who is in the throne room?"_

Ignis sighed and made a face of discomfort, so Gladio proceeded to rock his hips slowly while listening to Ignis.

_ "It's full of colorful flowers ... And you're at the bottom... Dressed in white". _

_"At the bottom?"_ asked Gladio

_ "Under the stairs". _

Gladio laughed, realizing that, in the position they were, it seemed that Ignis was sitting on him. _"So are you sitting on the throne?"._

_"... I ... I am ..."_ Ignis whispered, confused.

_"I'm pleased to change my position as the King's Shield to the King's Throne",_ said Gladio, rolling on his back and taking Ignis's waist with him, leaving Ignis sitting on Gladio's pelvis, still united.

_"Here is your throne, my king",_ said Gladio, grabbing Ignis' hips, throbbing vigorously against Ignis' buttocks.

The blind man tilted back his head, taking vast breaths of air. The friction of Gladio's glans against his prostate made Ignis shiver, making the rubbing between the two men more intense.

Gladio after noticing the tension that Ignis's body exerted on his cock, held his fingers firmly into the white skin of his lover. His muscles tensed, his voice became huskier as he felt his heart beating all over his body. He spilled into Ignis copiously, filling all the walls inside him while reducing his pace and gradually opening his eyes.

Ignis was panting intensely, emptying himself again over Gladio's abs. The white-haired man, incredulous, leaned on his elbows. He watched carefully while Ignis was being himself little by little.

_"... Married",_ Ignis sighed.

_"Married?"_ asked Gladio

_ "... In the Citadel ..." _

_"Huh?"_ Gladio smiled at how confused Ignis looked, not being able to distinguish dream of reality.

_"Apologies, Gladio. I'm very confused,"_ said Ignis rubbing his temples, still sitting on Gladio's lap.

Gladio, without leaving Ignis's body, sat up. He brought his face little by little to his lover's.

_"No, you're not confused, my King",_ Gladio said, gently stroking Ignis's jaw, narrowing his waist tightly.   
  
  
  
_“...Can I kiss the groom now? "._


	12. Long time no See

The snowy light in the waiting room was starting to drive him crazy. That extremely intense light and the sombre silence made him focus on his thoughts even more, waking the demons of his darkest fears. 

The receptionist was still working almost silently without lifting her face from the screen, typing softly on her keyboard. The hands of the wall clock crawled with parsimony and hesitation, giving the impression that they could stop at any moment. Part of him wanted time to have stopped days before, when they were still in bed together, crawling and tangling with each other. Stealing each other’s breath, resting and drinking on the other's body for hours.

The treatment previous to the surgery left Ignis without energy or authority over his body. His limbs became like stone, heavy and insensitive. The medicines, that gradually dozed his nervous system, played with the ghostly limbo between sleep and reality, leaving him abandoned in the purgatory of his mind, bedridden and motionless for two days and nights. His eyes were even more sunken than normal, his skin became translucent and his breathing slowed down gradually until becoming imperceptible. Gladio was aware that the medication would leave Ignis in a state unprepared for impressionable minds, but Gladio never imagined being terrified so much about something before in his life.

He missed Ignis’ voice and company during the day and feeling his thigh on his hip while sleeping at night. His embrace, his chest over his and his breath on the back of his neck.

'Sleeping beauty' called him those days to ease the pain of reality, creating the illusion of a magical and romantic spell over him, pausing him forever in that sad and fragile beauty.

Noct and Pompom rested on Ignis' feet the entire time, guarding him in his uncommon lethargy as if it were two astral guides that anchor him into the tangible world. 

He didn't want to disturb his previous rest for what was coming. Ignis needed all the strength possible to be able to face the surgical intervention and, if it went wrong, Gladio would never forgive him just for the whim of sleeping with him one more night. Instead, he slept on the couch.

***

His mouth was dry, his stomach was churning and he was unsure of getting up from his chair; his legs were shaking as if an Adamantoise was having a long walk through the area. He looked at the girl behind the desk once more, looking for that eye contact that he didn’t get earlier. 

The phone rang and she answered it muttering after picking up the phone at the first ring. She hung up immediately and got up from the table and disappeared down the long hall. The door closed behind her with a heavy, metallic sound that bounced throughout the room, breaking the only sound that rumbled in Gladio's ears; the quick beating of his heart.

The lights began to blink one after another, from the one closest to the metal door to the room where Gladio was. After a while, the arrhythmic flashes of light discontinued, leaving the whole space in the dark.

Suddenly, a loud click lit Gladio from above. He glanced up at the spotlight. The intense light blinded him and, as he looked down, pink eyes watched him.

_“¿Noctis?”_

_“Hey, Gladio ... Long time no see”,_ said the old king, with a husky and dried voice.

_“What are you doing here? I thought you were… “_

_“Dead? ... I am”_

Gladio glanced at Noctis, who was approaching the spotlight, showing his real fatigue, now turned into rags stained with dirt and dried blood.

The trembling of Gladio's legs moved directly to his heart, causing him to suddenly get up from the chair to approach the former king _“I don’t understand...”_

 _“You have nothing to worry big guy, I’m not alone...”_ said Noctis. _  
_

The hall door opened slowly again. Gladio turned his face but saw only darkness. _"... What are you talking about, Noctis?”._

_“They take good care of me. I have my chamberlain with me"._

_“Chamberlain?”_

The hallway lit up completely and, on the ground, Ignis's body consumed and lifeless lay on a pool of blood and wires that came out of his head. His nightmare and greatest fear became true.

Ignis hasn't survived the operation.

 _“I thought it would be better if I told you myself”_ said the eerie voice of the king.

Gladio's eyes were full of tears and his heart was reduced to a handful of painful needles, piercing him from inside. His chest tensed, as well as his legs. Unable to inhale or move, he turned his face to Noctis for an explanation. 

But he was no longer there.

Only darkness.

  
***

  
Gasped deeply with a grimace. Eyes widely opened, terrified. He felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently.

 _"Mr Amicitia?"_ asked a feminine voice. _"Excuse me, I think this is yours"_

Fighting against the heaviness of his eyelids, Gladio extended his hand, unsure of what was happening. The young woman put Ignis' ring on his hand. That one made with Leviathan's scales.

_"It must have fallen when you fell asleep"._

Gladio, surprised, sat up in the chair. The pain he felt on his ribs indicated that he had fallen asleep in that awkward chair for a long time. He looked up at the wall clock. It had been about five hours since Ignis finished the preoperative process and had entered the theatre.

He settled back in the chair, stretching. _"Thanks a lot",_ muttered Gladio.

 _"One of the nurses just called and she has confirmed that the first part of the operation has gone very well. Your husband is connected to the eye device and now they proceed to install the artificial eye._ " The girl smiled and brought a coffee she carried in Gladio's other hand. _"Your husband is a very tough man."_

The young woman's words eased the grief Gladio felt inside _"He's a hard nut to crack. There's no day that I'm not proud of him"._

  
Many other long hours passed slowly in the waiting room. Now relieved, Gladio napped once in a while, as it seemed it was the only way to blow the clock's hands faster.

The roar of the metal door woke him once again. This time, the doctor was walking down the hall, accompanied by a nurse and a young assistant both walking behind her. Gladio's heart pounded hard inside his chest as he rose from the chair in the waiting room. Obviously, they came to talk to him as there was no one else making him company in that bitter waiting.

  
The red carmine lips of the doctor's curved in a smile, _"Mr Amicitia ..."_ she said, taking Gladio's hands. _"His husband is stable. He is resting in the post-operative area. Soon we will take him to his room”._

 _"Can I see him?",_ Gladio asked. It was the only thing that mattered to him. I needed to see him.

 _"Of course!_ You can wait for him in the room if you wish." The doctor nodded to her assistant _"Could you walk the gentleman to Mr Scientia's room, please?”._

The assistant nodded.

Gladio, stunned by the great news, nodding awkwardly to the doctor and followed the assistant down the hall. _"Thanks, doctor"._

A cold and sharp shiver ran through the body of the white-haired man as he crossed the spot where he saw Ignis' dead body on the floor in his dream. He tried to shake that thought off as hard as he could. Thankfully, entering in Ignis’ room helped him to calm his fears down again.

  
* * * 

  
As Ignis still was going to take a few hours to be moved to his room and Gladio felt like a hungry tiger in a cage, he decided to shop around the nearest city in search of few treats when Ignis awakes. After popping into a few shops, he found a beautiful girl dressed in a long pink dress that contrasted with the deep green of her eyes. Her long brown ringlets and her melodious voice gave the young woman an even more special touch. Part of her reminded him of Ignis. 

The girl, shamelessly, approached Gladio with a sassy smile. He could tell she was used to dealing with people in the streets.

_"Would you like some flowers for your missus, my good man?"_

Gladio smiled, staring at the girl’s eyes _"How did you know that I’m a married man?"_

 _"The ring in your finger and the Cavaugh's Oolong tea that you carry in your bag told me, sir"_ , said the young lady. With a smirk, pushed back the hood of her flower cart. It was handmade by the ramshackle look it had, but the gorgeous flowers she carried there took all the attention of the potential buyers.

 _"I’ve just picked up this Gladiolus early this morning,"_ said the girl, picking up a flower, bringing it to Gladio.

The man, overwhelmed by the girl's insight, smiled dejectedly _"In that case, I have no choice but to take them all"._

 _“All of them?”_ the girl blinked several times and stuttered, _"It’ll be 300 Gil, sir"._

Gladio took a few notes out of his pocket and handed them to the girl without checking them previously.

 _"Sir ... I have no change for so much money,"_ he said in a shy voice.

 _"Don't worry,"_ said Gladio, taking all the flowers cones and beginning to head downtown, _"now you can buy a nicer cart. That one is too old."_

The girl counted the money. Gladio gave her more than 500 Gil. She looked at the cart with a sand glance. He was right, she needed a new flower cart. The linen was cracked, stained and old and the wheels were wonky. The handlebars were peeling off of the direct sunlight and the hood had too many holes. The girl watched Gladio walking down the street.

 _"But… but my boyfriend made this cart!"_ she shouted from the other side of the street.

 _"Then, change your boyfriend, sweetheart!"_ Gladio replied, turning on himself, disappearing into the crowd of the avenue crowd in the way to his rusty bobcat.

  
* * *

  
_“Only you could bring flowers with your name...”_

Covered by the darkness, a rough voice woke Gladio up. The blinds of the windows were down, so the light in the room. 

_“You will end up with severe back problems as you continue to fall asleep in the armchairs, big guy”._

The blurred sight of Gladio saw blond hair figure in front of him.

 _"Oh no",_ he mumbled, recalling the terrible vision that Noctis shown to him before. 

_"Are you not happy to see me?"_ Asked the blond man, opening his arms, exposing an old wound, similar to the one that Noctis had before. His grey skin and clothes covered in soot made his cloudy purple eyes pop even more.

_“I was happy to see you in Lestallum, but not in the caravan... What the hell crossed your mind for doing that?”_

The blond man moved away from the chair and began to wander quietly around the room. He checked the windows, the empty bed, the vase with the flowers with a smile on his face. He sat on the bed, crossing his legs on top of the mattress, keeping that lively pose that characterized him so much. _“Well… ya know...I was just lonely”_

 _“But, what about Ignis?”_ asked, Gladio, clenching his hand into a fist _“He was heartbroken ... So was I”._

Prompto smiled with his head down, clearly ashamed. Sighted. He knew that he took the worst chose to disappear from this world, but he knew that if he had not done that way, he would not have done it. 

_"Don't you realize, Gladio?"_ the blond jumped out of bed and approached Gladio little by little, _"Do you not realize what we have done for you two?"._

_"We? ... Who?..."_

The blond turned slowly. Steps could be heard down the hall. The rhythmic heels became stronger and stronger.

 _"You're going to have to excuse me, Gladio. Your highness is coming"_ Prompto said after bowing and, without looking at Gladio, started heading for the door with a cool, almost dancing, step. Combing his hair with his fingers and trying to get his clothes in place. After the threshold, the blond man half-backed, playing, quickly peeked out the door.

 _"And please, change that awful dry food. We hate it..."_  
  
Prompto smiled with a wild face, _"you better wake up. This is gonna be just GORGEOUS"_

  
With a jolt, Gladio woke up in the same armchair. The room was still dark, the vase with the flowers rested on the table, but this time the bed wasn't empty.

_"Ignis?"_

The lying silhouette moved his head gently, focusing on where the voice came from 

_"... Gladio?"_

The white-haired man jumped up from the chair and ran the few steps that separated them, stumbling over his own steps. He knelt beside the bed, taking Ignis by one hand, approaching it to his lips to kiss his its backside several times, as a welcoming ritual.

 _"My love ..."_ he whispered. His voice was trembling and tears of relief rolled down his cheeks. _“I'm so happy… You’re back”._

 _“I am, my dear”_ Gladio felt Ignis's fingers combing her hair _"And I can't wait to see you again."_

The bigger man raised his face with his eyes clouded with tears. Ignis wore a lab nightgown and the top of his head was covered in bandages, covering a big part of his scalp and fully his eyes. Tufts of ashy hair came out between the bandages giving a less serious look to your appearance. He was leaning slightly, keeping his head somewhat upright with the help of several pillows, relieving all the tension his neck would suffer from gravity. It had been a very delicate operation and needed to keep effort to the minimal.

Gladio got up and took a stalk of Gladiolus from the vase to put it in Ignis's hand so he could feel them

 _"I know they are Gladiolus, I can smell them”_ said Ignis, confident on his instinct. _“Only you could bring me flowers with your name"_. Ignis smiled shyly, rolling the flower between his fingers. "You're so funny, Gladio. That's why I love you".

Gladio needed to hear that ‘I love you’ as much as to breathe. He put his hand on the hand with the flower of Ignis and slowly brought his face closer to that of Ignis, making the blind man feel his approach, noting his warmth and his breathing on his lips.

 _"I love you ..."_ she sighed on Ignis's parted lips, relieving the weight of her heart, _"My husband."_

  
The flowers, the caresses, the kisses and another declaration of love and devotion from Gladio touched Ignis locked heart.

He let the feelings surround him, concentrating in his eyes.

He cried for the first time in years.

Unstoppable tears fell for hours on Gladio's shoulders and chest coming from Ignis' eyes. He wrapped Ignis with his arms and held him all that time against his body, sitting on the bed, beside him. As always.

Just as the King's Shield should do.

  
Ignis cried.

  
He cried for Noctis on the throne, his brother from other parents, disappearing under the rain of swords that Bahamut had given him the misfortune of seeing in his mystical vision.

He cried for Prompto. For the wounds of Trent and his leg. For his loneliness, his sickness and his weak health. He cried for his depression, which lasted for years and he took with him to the grave, making impossible breaking free from it.

He cried for Gladio. Because of the pain in his voice when he became blind. For the terror of his actions since, and the mental exhaustion of not having overcome the death of his father for not being able to say goodbye to him as he deserved. Because of the fear Gladio had of showing himself fragile still when he was bearing the king's shield title over his shoulders.

And because Ignis broke Gladio's heart on purpose, thinking it was going to be for the good of both of them.

But it wasn't ... and Ignis fulfilled that punishment by dragging that sorrow for years, not being able to release himself from it, as he wasn't able to wash it out of his souls through his eyes. 

And so, Ignis cried for himself. 

Because he failed as the king's hand, as a lover, as a friend and as a counsellor. Because Gladio didn't marry him first. Because any of those sleepless lonely nights, when he thought of Gladio, it could have been his wedding night with him.

Because they had spent so much time loving each other without being together that caused him physical pain.

But now things had changed and he felt the luckiest man in the world.

Noctis returned the sunlight and hope.  
Prompto returned the vision and another new hope  
Gladio returned to himself and the ability to feel and love without limits.

  
***

  
Sitting in the dining room chair, Ignis could smell the Gladiolus that were still fresh in a vase. The two kittens rested on the couch, raising their ears from time to time upon hearing Gladio's footsteps entering and leaving the room. He carried healing gauze for Ignis scars. The curtains were drawn, muttering the light coming through the window from the strong midday sun.

 _"Are you ready?"_ Gladio asked, nervous.

Ignis sighed, emptying her lungs _"I am ready"._

 _"Ok, let's hit it",_ Gladio replied, pretending to be doing the most normal thing in the world.

And the truth that in principle was not. Removing someone's bandage had been one of the most normal tasks in his years as a hunter and as a Noctis shield.

But she had never thought about taking the bandages off from her husband who had partially recovered his vision after decades.

Gladio rolled up the white cloth, dirty by the oozing of the wounds of the Ignis operation, little by little. Strands of her hair fell on the forehead and sides of Ignis's face, reaching the tips of her chin. The back of his hair passed from his shoulders. His hair had grown a lot in recent months.

And again, he kneels before his king. He took his hands with his own. His eyes twinkled over Ignis's face, trying to hold back the tears.

Ignis blinked with his eyes closed, for it was not easy to open his eyes after so many years and his eyelids felt heavy. Gladio slowly stroked Ignis's face with one hand, calming him.

 _"You don't have to do this if you're not prepared,"_ Gladio said warmly.

 _"But I am"._ The determination of Ignis's voice showed the inner strength he was keeping. Gladio squeezed Ignis's hand, encouraging him to continue, giving him part of his strength.

Two greenish flashes made their way slowly. Gladio brought his face close to Ignis's eyes, while his pupils adjusted. He blinked slowly and heavily as the gesture of effort disappeared from his face and a smile formed.

Ignis relaxed his shoulders and looked at Gladio's face. Even a little blurry, he distinguished his long white hair contrasting with the beard and brown of his skin.

And in that cinnamon tone, his amber eyes shone. 

_"I can see you ..."_ sighted Ignis with a trembling voice. He couldn’t believe it. _”My love, I can see you”._

Gladio suppressed the desire to hug him tightly, but that would break eye contact and prevent him from seeing the face of pure happiness that was on Ignis's face.

Instead, they melted into a long kiss in which awkwardly, Ignis kept his eyes open.

 _"If you're closer, I can see your features better,"_ Ignis said over Gladio's lips.

 _"I will be as close as you need and more. I will never leave you alone,"_ Gladio replied.

  
As the days went by, Ignis's vision improved. Although one of his eyes was aesthetic, he could see perfectly through the bionic eye, capturing the entire spectrum of colour and shapes little by little.

Returning to normal with the only difference that they took each other every night.

Ignis sleeping in Gladio's chest every night and Gladio waking up surrounded by Ignis's thigh every morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank you if you're reading this. 
> 
> This is my first big fic in not my native language and it's been a great challenge. 
> 
> Mentions to Aerith doing a little cute cameo, as there's no better florist than her and Prompto quoting Johnny Cash with that "This is going to be just GORGEOUS". 
> 
> Noctis and Prpmto visions are inspired by the movie "Nina Forever" (100% Recommend if you're ok with gore, even that's not considered of that genre)
> 
> Any comments, shouting or fangirling is welcome. 
> 
> I hope you liked it!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments, kudos, critiques and fangirling makes me happy!  
> Twitter: @NanakiCosmo  
> Instagram: ginny.badger


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